Hellmouth or Time Rift
by kyuketsuki21
Summary: The Doctor and Donna land in Sunnydale and meet up with Spike and Buffy along with the rest of the Scooby gang. Merlin crossover in Chapter 7.
1. Meeting the Doctor

Hellmouth or Time Rift

Ch.1

Meeting the Doctor.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Doctor Who. This will be the one and only time I put this disclaimer up here.

AN: This takes place during season four of Doctor Who. This kind of takes place during season 7 of Buffy. This is after Spike has gotten his soul but don't expect much of anything else from season 7. This is all the information I am going to give away so that nothing is spoiled.

It was just an ordinary day on the Hellmouth for Buffy Summers. Well as ordinary as it can be on the Hellmouth. Buffy was currently in one of the many graveyards of Sunnydale fighting off a gang of vampires with the help of her boyfriend Spike. Now that sounded weird to her. Spike being her boyfriend was a very recent occurrence. He was once one of the big bad vampires that she fought. The government then put a chip in his brain that made it so he couldn't hurt humans. Spike still has the chip but he also has a soul.

Our two warriors which consisted of Buffy the vampire slayer and Spike the vampire were winning against their foes and were down to their last vampire. It was then that they heard an indescribable noise out in the distance. The distraction caused the two to lose the vampire they had been about to stake as they had been momentarily distracted. It seemed like the vampire had used this distraction to make a quick getaway.

"It's no fun when they run away," said Buffy with a slight pout. "What was that noise anyways?"

"Was just about to ask you the same question, love," replied Spike who still had his game face on just in case any more baddies were heading their way. Spike's game face consisted of yellow eyes, a ridged bumpy forehead, and sharp looking fangs. He would appear quite terrifying to the average person. "Shall we take a look?"

"Lead the way," said Buffy before she went ahead and took the lead.

This left Spike to run to catch up to his girlfriend who was currently running towards where they had heard the noise come from. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All Spike could see were the same old headstones, the crypt he used to live in, and a strange looking man. There was a man just standing in the middle of the graveyard. He had short spiky brown hair, brown eyes, and was really skinny. The man was wearing a brown pinstriped suit, converse trainers, and a long brown trench coat. The combination of clothes was quite odd in Spike's opinion. Spike than wondered if he had been spending too much time around Buffy since he was now noticing what other people were wearing.

Spike had been in the process of running towards Buffy when he saw the strange man start to run towards Buffy as well. Unfortunately the pinstriped suit man got to Buffy first and was holding out a hand behind him towards Buffy and a hand out to Spike.

"Stop. Don't come any closer," the man had called out to Spike before he turned to face Buffy. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. Now run."

"I'm not going anywhere with a weirdo in a dorky suit and shoes that so don't go with the outfit," replied Buffy to the man apparently called the Doctor. What kind of name was that? Buffy than grabbed the man by the throat and pushed him into a headstone that was relatively close. "Now you're going to tell us what you're doing here."

"Do you not see that creature with the fangs and the yellow eyes?" The Doctor asked.

"That creature is my boyfriend," responded Buffy. "Now if you want to live you're going to tell us who you are."

By this time Spike had reached the headstone and was merely watching Buffy handle this man. It was as he was close that Spike noticed two things about this man. The first was that he did not smell human and the second was the fact that this man had two hearts. "Buffy I can tell you right now that this bloke isn't human."

"Thanks Spike. That saves us some time," said Buffy as she pulled a stake out of her leather jacket pocket and held it up ready to strike.

"Wait, Buffy," Spike called out.

"What now?" Buffy asked.

"I said he wasn't human. I never said he was a vampire." Despite the fact that Spike knew this man wasn't human, he didn't think the guy was too strong or he could have broken free by now. Spike leaned against a nearby headstone and lit up a cigarette. He was curious. In his long years he had never met something that smelled like this and had two hearts. "Question him a bit before you do anything. I don't know what he is. He could be the first of many."

"Since when do you think things through, Spike?" Buffy asked forgetting the man she was currently choking for the moment.

"I always think things through, well most of the time. I get bored easily," responded Spike with a shrug and a drag on his cigarette. "I'd loosen your hold on his neck if I were you. Don't want him passing out before we can find out who he is."

Buffy loosened her grip slightly. The man could not breathe but could not get away. "Okay Doctor. Mind telling us more than your name?"

"I would feel more comfortable if you would let me go. I won't run away and I will explain everything. Blimey you have a strong grip," said the Doctor from his uncomfortable position against the headstone.

"So we at least know you are from the UK with that kind of accent. Spike, get over here, put on your human face, and come talk British with this guy," said Buffy slightly impatiently, but with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Spike shook his head to make his game face go away and his human one appear. "Sometimes I wonder why I don't just kill you with how rude you are to me," said Spike with a smirk. "Did I hear you say your name was the Doctor? What are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing?" The Doctor answered with a question.

"You've never seen a vampire before?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Vampires don't exist. At least they don't exist like humans think they do. There are creatures in the universe called plasmavores which drink blood to assimilate it, but they don't have fangs. Now as more me, I am neither of those. I'm not here to cause any trouble so can I just be on my way?"

"Don't think so," responded Buffy. "You still haven't told us what you are."

"Oh fine. I'm a Time Lord," answered the Doctor.

"A what?" Buffy and Spike asked together.

"Time Lord. I come from the planet Gallifrey and can travel through space and time," replied the Doctor.

"Aliens are real?" Buffy asked more to herself than anyone in particular. "Even if that is the case what are you doing in a graveyard on the Hellmouth?"

"What's a Hellmouth?" The Doctor asked clearly interested.

"A Hellmouth is literally a mouth to hell. All the bad things are drawn here to its energy," said Buffy,

"I know that is why I came here," Spike chimed in.

"I'm not going to attack so can I get up? The Doctor asked Buffy again. "My neck and back are starting to hurt. Plus it is kind of hard to think from this position."

"Fine, but if I let you up and you try anything you are getting a stake right through the heart," Buffy said menacingly.

"He has two hearts," supplied Spike. "Make sure you get both of them."

"How did you know that I have two hearts? I could you tell I was not human?" The Doctor was clearly interested in this creature he had never before laid eyes on. The way this man talked, he couldn't tell if Spike was kidding to be intimidating or actually evil.

Buffy released her grip on the Doctor but stayed in a defensive position with her stake raised. Spike had moved around so that he was directly across from Buffy on the other side of the alien. "Now talk," commanded Buffy.

"I could go on talking for hours," said the Doctor with a grin. He was feeling more confident and more himself now that he was not being choked against a headstone. At this moment he was very glad that he left Donna in the TARDIS. He would not have wanted her to be here right now. "Thing is I was only making a pit stop here. Didn't really know what I would find. My ship was attracted to the energy that was being put out from this town. My ship needed to be refueled and didn't want to stop in Cardiff. There is an old friend there that I would rather avoid at the moment. Anyways, went looking for something that was putting out the same kind of energy. What you have in this town is a rift in time and space. There is all this energy bleeding out which draws others here. This is your reason why so many things are attracted to this place. I know Cardiff gets their fair or activity, but they have Jack to handle things there. Are you two part of some team that handles creatures that come here seeking to wreak havoc?"

It took a moment for Spike and Buffy to digest all that the Doctor had said. By the time the Doctor had finished speaking they were taken by surprise. It didn't seem like this guy was ever going to stop rambling.

"I am Buffy the vampire slayer. I am the one girl in all the world chosen to fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. That is my basic job description. This is Spike who was once just like any other vampire. This government agency put a chip in his head that prevents him from hurting humans. He worked by my side since he had nothing better to do. He then went out and got his soul back for me. We have been a couple ever since and are still fighting together. My friends help us out in our fights."

"Absolutely brilliant," The Doctor remarked. Well he thought it was wrong that one human girl was chosen to fight off everything. He wondered how they were chosen "How does one become a vampire slayer?"

"Long ago a girl was imbued with a demon that gave her enhanced healing, speed, strength, and endurance. When she died these abilities were passed onto a new girl. Every time a slayer dies another is chosen. So far I am the longest living slayer," said Buffy proudly.

"That's terrible," said the Doctor in a grave voice. "You seem to only be in your twenties and you are the longest living. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How old are you, mate?" Spiked asked.

"Don't really remember," said the Doctor still distracted by what an awful fate this girl had. "I kind of stopped counting awhile ago. I just say I am in my early nine hundreds, but I am most likely somewhere in my thousands. I have been saying I was nine hundred since around my sixth body.

"Sixth body?" Asked a shocked Buffy. "What body are you on now?"

"This is my tenth regeneration. When I am about to die I regenerate into a new body. My personality changes slightly but I am still the same basic person," replied the Doctor.

"So when you are about to die you steal someone else's body?" Buffy asked getting her stake ready in case she needed to use it.

"No, nothing like that," said the Doctor rather quickly. "Please put that stick down. It is making me nervous. When I regenerate I literally change every cell in my body to heal myself. The side effect is that my looks change along with some aspects of my personality. I don't go around stealing random people's bodies. That would just be weird."

Spike and Buffy gave each other a look as if to wonder if the guy was really for real. They decided they would deal with that weirdness later on. For now they needed to focus on the here and now.

"Now Spike how long have you been a vampire?" The Doctor curiously asked.

"I'm roughly around 130," replied Spike. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a theory as to what you actually are," answered the Doctor. "What do you know about your kind?"

"I know pretty much just the basics," responded Spike. "There were some ancient pure demons that were once here. I guess some humans got infected and became the first vampires. They went on to create others and so on."

"Aha!" The Doctor exclaimed. "That is pretty much what would have happened except replace demon with alien parasite. There was a species of these parasites that lived long ago but have long since died out. Didn't know any of them had left remnants of themselves on Earth. I am guessing that the alien DNA mixing with human DNA produced some kind of genetic mutation so that you are neither exactly like that parasite or exactly like a human. This is absolutely fantastic. Can I have a look at that face of yours again? I couldn't really get a good look before and was a bit more worried about staying alive."

"I'll show you if you stop with all that bloody rambling," responded Spike with a growl as he vamped out.

"Oh you are gorgeous. You really are fantastic," said the Doctor with childlike glee on his face as he got a bit closer to Spike. "I don't quite understand how you can shift faces back and forth and that is fantastic because I usually understand everything. Usually I would have guess some kind of perception filter, but that doesn't seem to be it. It is probably just another form of that genetic mutation. The body can't decide what type of face it is suppose to have so it can go back and forth. This is truly amazing."

"Enough!" Buffy yelled out to shut up the Doctor who seemed to be geeking out over Spike. "Let's get back to my place and we can figure out what to do with you."

"Sounds good to me," said Spike now back in his human face. He was very thankful that Buffy had shut the Doctor up.

"I don't mind. I just need to grab my companion and move my ship out of this graveyard. This town is so filled with rift energy that she is bound to be refueled by now."

"There is no way I am letting you run off," said Buffy sternly. "Who is this companion with you? Is this companion like you?"

"No running away and no she is not like me. She is completely human and just someone who travels with me. Kind of funny how we met," recalled the Doctor fondly. "She just appeared on my spaceship. She thought I was a Martian who had abducted her. It all worked out in the end though. We have had some great adventures." The Doctor was explaining Donna to Buffy and Spike as they walked towards the TARDIS.

"So where is this spaceship? Spike asked when the Doctor stopped. "All I see is an old Police Box. Saw my fair share of them back in the day. Don't know why one would be here in Sunnydale of all places."

"This is my spaceship,' replied the Doctor.

"You travel through space in a tiny wooden blue box?" Buffy asked skeptically.

"Oi, don't knock the TARDIS," said the Doctor. "Take a look inside. Come on." The Doctor ran in ahead of the two and tossed his coat to the side. "Donna! We have guests!" The Doctor called out.

Buffy and Spike entered the TARDIS at the same time. They promptly stepped back out and walked around before going back inside. It was Buffy who said what was on both of their minds. "It's bigger on the inside."

"Try popping aboard this ship and then seeing that it is smaller on the outside after exiting it. Now that is a mind trip," said Donna who had just entered the console room. "Hi, I'm Donna Noble."

"So you're the Doctor's companion," observed Spike. "Well I guess you two make a nice couple."

"We're not a couple," said the Doctor and Donna at the same time. "So Buffy tell me where we are off to," requested the Doctor.

"We are going to 1630 Revello Drive," said a now unsure Buffy who really didn't think she should be in an alien spaceship with said alien who she had just given her address to.

"Allons-y," said the Doctor as he pulled a lever which made the whole room shake and the TARDIS moved to the backyard of Buffy's house.

Buffy ran out of the ship the moment they landed and ran into the house. "Everyone get down here now!" Buffy called out through the house waking its inhabitants.

AN: So here ends chapter 1. The first chapter is more introductory to both fandoms than anything else. Next chapter the Doctor and Donna will be meeting the Scooby gang and then we will go from there. Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. I appreciate reviews.


	2. The Doctor and the Scoobies

Ch. 2

The Doctor and the scoobies

Buffy had just called out through her dark house to the rest of the people who were currently residing there. She really had no clue what time it was, but felt that it was quite late. Despite the fact that it was probably very late, all of the Scooby gang came rushing down the steps. Buffy knew they would come running since yelling throughout the house usually meant something not normal was going on.

Willow was the first one down the steps closely followed by her girlfriend Tara. They had just recently gotten back together and Tara had moved back into the Summer's household. Dawn came down the steps looking like she was still half asleep. Some of the gang was missing since they did not live with Buffy.

As everyone was gathering in the living room, Buffy held up a finger to indicate she would be with them shortly as she quickly called up her friend Xander, followed by her Watcher, Giles. Both seemed annoyed at the phone call, but promised they would be over soon.

"Buffy?" Spike asked from the doorway. "Shall I let our two guests in now?"

"I'm not inviting them in. You can never be too careful in this town," responded Buffy.

"What's going on here?" Dawn asked now that she was finally starting to wake up. "Who's outside?"

"Spike and I will wait to explain till Giles and Xander get here," said Buffy. "I will say that we met two strangers in the graveyard while on patrol. I don't know what to think of them and think the whole gang should hear what they have to say."

A minute later Spike came inside followed by the Doctor and Donna. The three had not said much to each other while they were waiting outside. The Doctor and Donna were waiting to find out what was going on and Spike didn't want to ask any questions until everyone was gathered.

Once everyone was inside there were quite a few awkward glances and everyone was feeling kind of antsy. Buffy noticed everyone in the room looking wary and uncomfortable and tried her best to make them feel at ease. "Take a seat and make yourselves comfortable," said Buffy to the Doctor and Donna. "The last two should be here soon."

Even once the Doctor and Donna sat down, there was still a lot of tension in the room. After what felt like an eternity there was a knock at the door. When Buffy opened the door she was relieved to see that both Giles and Xander were on the other side.

"Come in and we can get started," said Buffy without even giving a proper hello.

Giles and Xander both cast a quizzical look to the two strangers in the room before find places to sit down. Xander was already missing his bed. He thought the two strangers looked perfectly ordinary and thought this could have waited until the morning. Giles was just curious as to what was so important about these two.

"Now that everyone is here we can get started," Buffy began. "Spike and I ran into this guy called the Doctor while on patrol tonight. We later met Donna in his spaceship. Apparently the Doctor is an alien and Donna is a human who travels with him. We don't know much beyond that, yet."

"Neat!" Xander exclaimed before he noticed the looks he was receiving and shut up right away. Xander loved geeky science fiction stuff. Demons were just an everyday occurrence in Sunnydale, but he had always wanted to meet an actual alien.

"Anyways," Buffy continued. "Doctor this is Xander, Giles, Willow, Tara, and my little sister Dawn," said Buffy getting introductions out of the way. "The Doctor had some interesting stuff to say about Sunnydale but we really know nothing about him. Since they agreed to come here then I am hoping they will be forthcoming. If not than we will try other methods."

"Doctor, I don't like the sound of that. What other methods?" Donna asked in a whisper.

"As long as we answer their questions, we don't need to find that out," responded the Doctor also in a whisper. Honestly, the Doctor didn't know why he came here at all. He could have just made a run for the TARDIS and could have been off on their next adventure. He mainly agreed to go to Buffy's house so he could learn more about this town. In his long life he had never heard of a Slayer, a Hellmouth, or these vampires. Every single one could be explained away, but he was still curious. If the Doctor had a major fault, it was curiosity.

"Care to share with the class?" Buffy asked after noticing the whispering going on between the two strangers.

"Nothing important," replied the Doctor. "Carry on and we shall be as helpful as possible. The Doctor had quite a few questions of his own, but would wait for the moment to ask them. So much in the Summer's household just felt wrong to him and it was making him stay silent for the moment so he could observe each of the inhabitants closely. He really hoped that he and Donna wouldn't need to make a quick run for it anytime soon.

"You told Spike and me why you came to Sunnydale but I didn't like your explanation," said Buffy who then felt she needed to elaborate for the others in the room. "The Doctor said his spaceship was attracted to the energy of Sunnydale and that the ship needed to be refueled and used this kind of energy. Something like that." Buffy turned away from her friends to glare at the Doctor. "If your ship just needed to soak up this energy, than why were you far from it watching Spike and me in the graveyard?"

"I guess that is a fair question," admitted the Doctor. "I was curious about where the TARDIS had landed. It is not often that I find a rip in the fabric of reality, especially not one as big as the one you have here in this town. I then saw something very unusual which was you and Spike staking what you claim to be vampires. I was going to rush over until I saw these creatures turn to dust. I decided to keep my distance and observe the two of you. Simple as that."

"I'm having quite a hard time believing you came here in a spaceship," said Giles while he was polishing his glasses on his shirt. He placed them back on a continued on. "It seems much more likely that you are just some demon from one of the various hell dimensions who was attracted to the Hellmouth."

"Spike and I were in the spaceship," said Buffy to her watcher before the Doctor had a chance to answer.

"Buffy!" Giles yelled. "I would expect more from you than that. I would expect stupidity of that level from Spike, but not from you."

"Oi! Standing right here, mate," said Spike indignantly.

The Doctor was very interested in these various hell dimensions that Giles spoke of. He wasn't offended in the least that he had been called a demon. It wasn't the first time he had been called one. "What do you mean by hell dimensions?" The Doctor asked. "Do you have random demons just pop in from various dimensions around here? I am from the planet Gallifrey and traveled here in my ship. Would that still classify me as a demon in your terms?" The Doctor really wanted to make sure he knew exactly what Giles meant so that there would be no confusion later on.

"I'm not sure," said Giles. "This isn't quite what we are used to dealing with. The demons we meet don't tend to look so human."

"You all look like Time Lords. My people were around long before humans," said the Doctor.

"What's a Time Lord?" Xander asked. "I would expect something much more alien sounding like a Vulcan or something cool like that.

"This isn't Star Trek," laughed the Doctor. He could tell that Xander was the only one in the room who followed anything in science fiction. Normally the Doctor tried to avoid that type of person, but he could see this would be amusing. Xander was the most ordinary feeling person in the room. "Anyways, the Time Lords used to be the ones who watched over the Universe and kept it in check. They were a stuffy group who never liked to interfere in the happenings of other planets unless there was absolute need. They usually got me to do it so they could claim deniability."

"First off you are speaking like they are gone," said Giles. "Secondly, if you are one of them then why could they claim deniability?"

"Well… they are all gone. I'm the only Time Lord left," said the Doctor with a slightly dark look in his eyes. "I was a renegade and was even banished for awhile. That's not important now since they are all gone."

The mood in the room which had been getting a bit lighter after Xander's weird comments suddenly began to darken. How does one respond to the information that you are talking to someone who is the last of their kind?

Willow was the one who finally decided to be brave and ask the question that was on everyone's minds. "What happened to the other Time Lords?"

The Doctor merely stared at the redhead for a few moments. She was one of the ones in the room who felt the most wrong. He had kind of been expecting her to speak up long before now. "There was a war. This was the last great time war between the Time Lords and the Daleks." The Doctor hesitated before continuing since this next sentence could get him killed by these people. He was feeling sort of reckless at the moment and did want to be truthful. "I killed them all to end the war."

"What?" Everyone is the room asked at the same time.

"You killed your whole species? Why?" Buffy asked the Doctor not quite believing this skinny guy sitting her living room could do all that.

"It was necessary," responded the Doctor cryptically. "Enough that depressive talk now," said the Doctor who was suddenly smiling at everyone in the room. I'm curious about you lot. Now, no offence, but most of you in this room just feel wrong to me. I know all about slayers and vampires now, but the rest of you are making me feel weird with the exception of Xander and to a slight extent Giles."

"What do you mean by wrong?" Dawn asked while hoping the Doctor couldn't tell what she really was.

"Dawn, I'm sorry to say this, but you really shouldn't exist. Your presence is weird an unnatural. I can see you as you appear to others but also as this shining green light. I just can't figure out what you are. It looks like the Universe was forced to compress itself into human form, but that is impossible," said the Doctor trying to look serious, but at the same time giddy with excitement over something he didn't understand.

Dawn gave her sister a look and was about to answer the Doctor before Buffy held out a hand to her and indicated for her to be quiet. It was Buffy who explained her sister to the Doctor. "Dawn is my sister and that is the most important part. She may be something else as well, but that doesn't matter. What happened to create her has long since been dealt with, and we are going to leave it at that."

"I have to know one thing though," said the Doctor. Suddenly the Doctor snapped on his glasses, pulled out his sonic screwdriver and crossed the room towards Dawn. Before he even reached the youngest member of the household, he had Buffy standing in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Buffy asked with a stake that had seemed to magically appear in her hand. "What is that thing?"

"It's a sonic screwdriver, replied the Doctor.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"It's a screwdriver only sonic. I try to never go anywhere without it. It is super useful for stuff like unlocking doors, scanning stuff, that sort of thing," said the Doctor while looking fondly at his sonic screwdriver. "It is completely non lethal and that is why I like it. It won't hurt her at all. I just want to quickly scan her, Willow, and Tara."

"You're not scanning my sister with some freaky alien device. If Willow and Tara want to be scanned that is up to them," said Buffy.

"I don't mind," said Willow who was fascinated by this piece of alien technology.

The Doctor was disappointed he couldn't unlock the mystery of Dawn but didn't want to overstep his boundaries. Maybe once he gained their trust he could try again. "Willow, this isn't going to hurt a bit. I just need to check something out," said the Doctor as he fiddled with the settings on the sonic screwdriver. He ran his device through the air just in front of Willow. It made a slight beeping and humming noise and lit up at the end. "Fascinating," said the Doctor as he looked at the results. "You are a human being with some kind of power. Don't know how that could happen and unless I am mistaken, which I don't think I am, Tara is just about the same as you. Can you explain this to me?"

"We're witches," said Willow casually.

"Witches don't exist. Well there is a species called Carrionites who use what is close enough to witchcraft. What they use is a form of science which basically uses words instead of something like math. I'm going to go ahead and assume the two of you are not Carrionites. Is this something relating back to the atmosphere here?"

"I have been practicing for years now, Willow began. "At first I could only do small stuff like make pencils float, but now I can do much more." Willow gave a quick glance to her girlfriend next to her. Willow was still not quite comfortable with her powers after she had kind of become addicted to magic the previous year. "I use incantations, herbs, power of thought. It is just something I am good at."

"Hmm. Well this has all been fascinating, really it has. I feel like a kid in a candy store," said the Doctor now heading back towards Donna. "It is late and we should all be getting off to sleep now. Donna and I will just head back to the TARDIS for the night. We can resume this intriguing conversation in the morning."

"How do we know you are not going to run off? Buffy asked as she placed herself in front of the door with Spike joining her to help her block the way out.

"You don't know that. Donna and I could just take off right now and you wouldn't be able to stop us," said the Doctor using his serious face which seemed enhanced by the large glasses. "Why would I want to run off?" The Doctor said with a complete mood swing and his voice going slightly squeaky. "I am having a terrific time. I know you will want to discuss my companion and myself just like I am sure you know we will be discussing your merry little bunch."

Spike and Buffy gave each other a look before moving away from the door so that their guests could exit the house. "You better still be around in the morning," said Buffy in a slightly threatening tone.

"Wouldn't dream of leaving, said the Doctor. "Maybe later the rest of you can check out the TARDIS. I'm betting Xander would love that."

"Definitely!" Xander called out from across the room.

"Well then, night everyone," said the Doctor as Donna gave a wave.

Back in the TARDIS with the doors locked the Doctor let his happy exterior melt away somewhat. He didn't need to act around Donna since she could see right through him. "This place is wrong, and I don't know how to fix it or if I even should try," said the Doctor bluntly. "Why didn't you say anything inside?" The Doctor asked his companion.

"I have been travelling with you long enough, Space boy, to know when to keep quiet, said Donna. "I could tell you did not like what you were hearing in that house. I decided to let you figure out what you needed to figure out."

"Very perceptive, Donna," said the Doctor. "What did you think of them?"

"I don't know," Donna said at first to give herself time to figure out what she did think of those people they had just met. "They don't really seem like the usual people we meet on our adventures. Buffy seems a bit abrasive, but for the most part they seem nice, but a bit frightening."

"They were slightly frightening," said the Doctor after thinking about what Donna had said. "I think they have had to face way too much at too young an age. I may have to do something later on, but I don't know if I should. Dawn shouldn't exist and if I am right than her very existence could mean the end of the world. While we're here I also want to study this Hellmouth more and see if I can do anything about it. Not sure if I can, but it is worth a try."

"You're not going to kill that little girl are you?" Donna asked revolted.

"I hope it won't come to that. The rest of them are fine. There is oddness surrounding that group that can be overlooked. Now I wasn't kidding about bed. Off to your room. See you in bit," said the Doctor as he waved Donna off to her room.

Back in the Summer's house the Scooby gang was having a quick meeting before bed. Xander and Giles had already agreed to spend the night so that they would be there in the morning when the conversation with their strange guests resumed.

"I don't trust him," said Buffy bluntly to the rest of the group. "Willow I know it is late, but could you maybe try to find out some info on this guy before we meet with them later on?"

"Sure thing," said Willow who was planning on at least getting a little sleep first before starting her research.

"I thought the Doctor was awesome but scary," said Xander.

"You only thought he was awesome because he was an alien," said Dawn. "I'm with Buffy on this one. I don't trust him at all."

"Well he definitely did seem to be an interesting fellow," said Giles who was trying to hide his excitement now that he was hearing what the rest of the group was saying. He wondered if the Watcher's council knew about the Doctor and then wondered if they did, why he wouldn't have been told.

"Who do you think that woman really was?" Tara asked. This was the first time she had added her voice to the conversation all night. Tara was still very shy and quiet, but she was a bit more confident than when Willow had first met her.

"I think she is just someone who was fascinated with the Doctor and decided to travel with him," said Xander. "Many people would love the chance to travel into space. Sure he seemed all serious and stuff but come on guys, he was an alien. Who knows what their personalities are like? Plus how weird was it that he looked so human?"

"You're blind, Xander," said Spike from a corner. "Did you not take a good look at the Doctor? I don't see how anyone could mistake him for human."

"We aren't all like dogs that can smell weird stuff," retorted Xander.

"I'm not talking about his smell or that he has two hearts. It is more than that," said Spike.

"He has two hearts? Cool!" Xander exclaimed.

"Will you bloody give it a rest?" Spike growled. "Did not one of you look into his eyes? His eyes were ancient and terrifying and I am not one to go around saying that someone has terrifying eyes. There was nothing human about those eyes. It seemed like he was putting on an act the whole time. I don't think his companion even knows who the Doctor really is. He came right out and admitted to genocide and then put on a goofy looking smile. He is not one to mess with or to be taken lightly in my opinion."

"That is quite insightful," said Giles clearly impressed with the vampire he loathed. "Look at the time though; it is just about four am. We should really all get to sleep. We can't do anything more tonight.

A/N: So you have now reached the end of chapter two. I hope you all enjoyed it. I just have a couple of quick notes about some characters. I always liked Tara so I just ignored what happened at the end of season six. Spike has always been insightful. He can really see what people are like so I have no doubt he would be able to see the Doctor better than the rest of the gang. The Doctor is a wonderful character who I love. He does always seem to put on an act and no one really knows him. He can go from being serious one moment to goofy the next. To strangers this would be unsettling. Finally, I don't like Dawn and I never have. Dawn may be just a typical teenager but she would definitely be a danger to the Earth. Just because Glory is gone does not mean that Dawn has stopped being the key.


	3. Building Trust

Ch.3 Building Trust

The following morning after meeting with the strange Doctor and his human companion, Donna, the Scoobies were all quite late in getting up. The house was relatively quiet until ten in the morning when everyone finally started to get up and get ready for the day. The only two who had risen early and had not gotten much sleep was the redheaded witch, Willow and Dawn. She had been up since seven researching the Doctor before everyone else had even considered leaving their beds. Dawn had to unfortunately leave early to get to school at the newly built Sunnydale High School.

What Willow found out about the Doctor was very disturbing. She came across the websites that were dedicated solely to the study of the Doctor. Some of these websites thought that the title of Doctor was passed on through the ages since every time period seemed to have some mention of the Doctor. Willow dismissed these sites entirely since these people seemed to think the Doctor was human, and therefore, could provide no real useful information. Some sites were more helpful since they claimed to have met the Doctor and knew him to be a traveler from another world. Some of these sites had images of some of the different faces of the Doctor ranging from elderly men to young men. What most sites agreed upon was the fact that the Doctor was dangerous and not someone to mess around with. It was reported that the Doctor was present at some of the worst disasters in history. Death seemed to follow him wherever he went.

It was near the end of Willow's research that she managed to hack into the files of an organization called Torchwood. Apparently, the Doctor had been banned from Great Britain and was the reason that Torchwood was created. It was listed that after the Doctor had visited one of the Torchwood locations, a majority of the staff had been killed in a battle.

When Willow heard others starting to wake up for the day that is when she decided it was time to put her laptop away. She didn't quite know what to make of the information she had found. What these files said about the Doctor could be true. They hardly knew him at all and had no reason to trust him. She then began to wonder what files would say about Buffy. Willow knew that Buffy could be pinned to the deaths of many like she had been back when Kendra was killed. Buffy was constantly surrounded by death and for those who pretended the supernatural didn't exist, it would be easy to blame the Slayer for various deaths. This made Willow wonder if the Doctor was merely someone in the wrong place at the wrong time who was trying to help or it he was the cause of these disasters.

"Willow have you gotten any sleep?" Tara asked her girlfriend as she sat up in bed rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I managed to get a few hours," said Willow who was still musing over her findings. "I wanted to get this research done for Buffy."

"Find out anything important about the Doctor?" Tara asked.

"I have two theories," Willow began. "Either he is a big bad or he is a lot like Buffy. I can't figure out what he is yet."

"So still no information on what side he fights for," said Tara in a slightly dejected voice. She loved Willow and that is why she originally joined the Scoobies. She still found it hard sometimes to deal with all the evil there was just in Sunnydale.

"I'm going to confront him with the information I found," said Willow. "If I have a chance, I want to try to get Donna on her own to talk with her. I think that even if she doesn't know everything about the Doctor, she can still give us a basic idea of what he is like."

"I guess that sounds like a good plan. Just don't get yourself into trouble," said Tara who had gotten out of bed and placed her hand on Willow's shoulder.

"I'll try," responded Willow who then gave her girlfriend a quick kiss. "Let's get downstairs and see what's happening.

Back in the TARDIS, the two occupants had risen much earlier than those at 1630 Revello Dr. The Doctor never seemed to need much sleep and Donna had found it hard to get much sleep that night. Donna knew she should be used to her adventures with the Doctor, but she didn't think she would ever be fully used to her new strange life.

Donna was currently sitting in the control room sipping some tea while the Doctor stared intently at the monitor, mumbling to himself. She really wished he would just say what was going on and how long they were going to stay on Earth. She knew the Doctor wanted to get Sunnydale sorted out, but she wanted to head to another planet for some relaxation after all the troubles they had faced lately. The Doctor had promised her they would visit a planet called Midnight that was made entirely of diamonds.

"Doctor?" Donna began hesitantly. She didn't want to disturbed the Doctor in case he was in the middle of something really important.

"Hmm?" The Doctor responded back distractedly.

"What are you staring at so intently? Donna asked. "What is going on here in Sunnydale? Can we just get this over quickly and go on to Midnight?"

"I've been looking at scans and energy readings from Sunnydale," said the Doctor while still staring at the monitor. "I don't know all that is happening in this city, but it is definitely not good. The reports I have found indicate that many disasters have happened here. The most numerous reports show that many people have either died or been admitted to the hospital for blood loss. Many strange things happen here but no one wants to admit that anything out of the ordinary is happening. It is almost like there is a perception filter surrounding this entire town. People see what is going on but it is like they don't want to know, forget right away, or try to rationalize what they are seeing."

"So I am guessing this is something that can't be solved quickly? Donna asked the Doctor. "Do we even want to be involved in solving it though? The town seems to have its own protectors. We could just move on." Donna knew before she even finished speaking that they would not be moving on until something was done.

"We can't just leave a town like this to work out its own problems," said the Doctor. "I just wish I knew what was so special about this place." The Doctor was clearly agitated as he ran his hand through his spiky brown hair making it look even more disheveled. "Maybe another chat with our new friends will help me sort this place out."

So it happened to be around half past ten when the Doctor and Donna were knocking at the Summer's back door. The door opened to reveal Buffy on the other side ushering the two inside the house. The living room was once again filled with everyone in almost the same positions they were in the previous night. Spike was sitting in a corner trying to avoid the rays of sunshine currently entering the living room was the bit of window that was not covered by the curtain.

Buffy was the only one who was not currently sitting down. As the Slayer she was taking charge of the situation. She wanted this business with the Doctor resolved today. "We are all rested now ready to start fresh." Buffy paused to look around the room at everyone. She mainly wanted to look impressive for their visitors. "Willow has been doing some research this morning and I would be surprised if we weren't researched. Am I right?"

"You would be correct," said the Doctor loud and clearly. It was hard for him to sit back while someone else took charge, but this wasn't his house and he could see that Buffy was clearly used to being the one in charge. "May I?" The Doctor inquired, indicating that he wanted to proceed with his findings.

"Be my guest," said Buffy as she found a place to sit near Spike.

"Right," said the Doctor jumping up from his chair. "A rift in time and space it not normal but it does happen. That is not what has me worried. The fact that there is a perception filter surrounding the town so that the average person does not realize what is going on is what is troubling me. Have you noticed people forgetting what they see in front of their very eyes?"

"Everyone here seems to have selective amnesia," said Willow. "My mom forgets everything that is out of the ordinary."

"My mom was the same way until I told her the truth about me being the Slayer," said Buffy.

"That proves my point exactly!" The Doctor yelled out triumphantly. "Who would want everyone to forget?"

"The mayor would have wanted everyone to forget but that was before we blew him up, said Xander."

"What?" Donna asked. "You blew up the mayor?"

"The mayor was old and founded this town over a hundred years ago," said Giles. "He put on the act of caring for the town and keeping it safe. This worked until he was about to ascend. A few years ago on during graduation the mayor became a gigantic snake and this was the only time he could be killed. The school was blown up with him inside of it to save the town. We still don't know much about him such as how old he actually was. I suppose it would have been possible for him to place a perception filter around the town and it is still in place even after his death."

"Well I suppose that answers that question," said the Doctor thoughtfully. "Do you know why Sunnydale was founded here?"

"I can only assume the mayor founded the town here because this is where the Hellmouth is," replied Giles.

"Right," said the Doctor. "I just have one more question for now. How did you all come to be this brilliant group?" The Doctor said with a genuine smile on his face. He was tempted to give everyone in the room a hug, but didn't since he didn't think that would go over too well.

Buffy was startled by the smile and being called brilliant. The Doctor was definitely surprising her. "I moved here with my mother after getting expelled in LA for burning down the gym which was filled with vampires at the time."

"I was sent here to the librarian at Buffy's school. I am a Watcher which means it was my duty to train and watch over Buffy," said Giles.

"I've lived here my whole life along with Xander," said Willow. "Xander overheard Buffy and Giles talking about vampires. I was later attacked by a vampire but was saved by Buffy, unlike our friend Jesse who didn't make it," Willow added with a small hint of sadness at the loss of their friend. "We joined up with Buffy after that even though Slayers aren't allowed to have friends."

"What?" The Doctor asked clearly shocked. "Why can't a Slayer have friends?"

"A Slayer is supposed to be entirely focused on eradicating evil," said Giles. All potential Slayers are supposed to be taken from their families at a young age and trained. Somehow Buffy was skipped and then was activated as the Slayer. She has always insisted on having a somewhat normal life."

"Damn straight," said Buffy. "I wouldn't be alive now without my friends. Actually I know I wouldn't be alive since they brought me back from the dead."

"You died? Well can't say I haven't cheated death myself. I understand completely, Buffy." The Doctor left some things unsaid like throwing off the Universe from this action since everything seemed to have worked out fine in this case. "It is important to have friends by your side even though some may see them as a burden," said the Doctor looking fondly at Donna. "I want to hear the rest now."

"I went to the University here in Sunnydale," said Tara quietly. "I met Willow there and she introduced me to her friends."

"How do you fit into all of this, Spike?" The Doctor asked. "How did you not end up on the end of a pointy stick?"

"I originally came here with my Sire to make her well again," Spike began. "Thought the Hellmouth would help with her recovery. Buffy kept getting in my way and I kept trying to kill her. We actually became allies for a little while to stop her ex from sucking the world into Hell. I was too fond of Happy Meals on legs to let the whole place go to Hell. That alliance wrecked me relationship and I was a miserable wreck after that. Later came back to find the gem of Amara which would make me un-killable. That didn't work out so well. Then that sodding Initiative group put this bleeding chip in my head. I guess I was a bit too pathetic for anyone to want to stake me then. I couldn't hurt people, but I could hurt demons. I decided to help out the Slayer if they provided me with cash and blood. I was still evil then just we're clear. Stupid me had to go and fall in love with the bloody Slayer then."

"Absolutely brilliant," said the Doctor still smiling. "All of you are fantastic. Really you all are. I have more questions, but they can wait. Suppose I should give you lot a chance," said the Doctor before sitting down back down. He had been wondering around the living room as everyone else had been speaking.

"I researched you this morning, Doctor," said Willow. "I read websites dedicated to you and hacked into the Torchwood files. I had formed two theories. I thought you could either be like Buffy who sometimes gets blamed for deaths she didn't cause or you actually were a big bad. I am leaning against the big bad theory now. I'm wondering by Torchwood was out to get you?"

"Well that story goes back to a werewolf. My companion Rose and I were having a bit too much fun when we were back in Scotland and a lupine wavelength haemovariform was after Queen Victoria. We were honored for our work in saving her before she told us never to return. She was not amused with us," said the Doctor with a grin. "Anyways, that is all there was to that. Queen Victoria founded Torchwood to investigate the unusual and since I am unusual I was on the list."

"What happened to Torchwood?" Willow asked now thinking of the battle she read about.

"Remember the ghosts that were popping up all over the world?" The Doctor asked. He was worried when he saw a bunch of shaking heads. "Anyways, Torchwood was being careless and let these Cybermen through the void. Most of the Torchwood staff was then turned into Cybermen. I sent them back into the void and that particular branch of Torchwood was no more. I'm guessing Cybermen didn't turn up here in Sunnydale which probably has something to do with the strangeness of this town."

"So do you just travel through time and space saving planets and people?" Willow asked.

"That is not what I generally set out to do," said the Doctor. "I got bored back on my home planet just sitting there along with the other Time Lords watching the Universe. I 'borrowed' a TARDIS and set out to see the Universe for myself. I just happened to pick a TARDIS that liked to override where I told it to go. She seems to take me to places she thinks I should go. I ended up as protector of the Universe when I just wanted to have fun adventures. I've made many enemies and sometimes there is nothing I can do to help and sometimes I have to do horrible things to think of the big picture."

"We were in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted," said Donna when the Doctor took a breath. "According the Doctor it was a fixed point in time and we couldn't help. We then found out that Vesuvius was never going to erupt but that the Doctor had to make it happen to save the planet."

"I'm still a Time Lord even if I am the last one," said the Doctor. I can tell when a point of time is fixed and when it is in flux. A point in flux means I can interfere. Sometimes I can alter a fixed point slightly like saving a family from being turned to ash. It was Donna who made me go back for the family we had gotten to know. Sometimes I need someone to stop me or to make me be a bit more compassionate."

The room was completely silent for a few moments as everyone absorbed this information. No one knew quite what to say next. It was in these moments that the bonds of trust were beginning to be formed between the Scoobies and the travelers.

It was only to be expected that the Doctor was the one to break the silence. "So who wants to see the TARDIS? I know Spike and Buffy had a quick trip from the graveyard over here, but the rest of you haven't even seen inside of the old girl."

It was at this point that everyone except Spike who didn't want to risk the daylight went out the backdoor and waited by the TARDIS as the Doctor unlocked it. One after one they followed him inside to get a good look at the spaceship.

Xander almost fainted from sheer happiness and wanted to go exploring throughout the humongous ship. Willow as a science geek was wondering about the various controls. Giles who had never had much interest in technology was still highly impressed. Tara thought the ship was beautiful. Buffy had seen the ship briefly but hadn't had time to admire it until now. If she didn't believe the Doctor was an alien before she currently would now. No human could ever make something like this. They were all impressed by the impressive controls that looked basic and complicated at the same time. The pillars around the room seemed to have an organic feel to them. The ceiling was high and it looked like the ship could go on forever. The gang hadn't quite expected something so impressive when all they had seen before was the outside. Each of them was resisting the urge to get out and walk around the TARDIS just to wrap their heads around its sheer size.

"I can park this in the living room so that Spike can join us," The Doctor offered.

"Just don't get us lost in the middle ages,"commanded Donna.

"Is that likely to happen?" Tara asked slightly worried.

"The TARDIS wouldn't just randomly take us somewhere when we are in the middle of something. She knows better than that," said the Doctor.

Next thing Spike saw was the TARDIS materializing in the living room and the door opening before him. He entered the TARDIS and closed the door behind him. Sure he had seen the TARDIS the previous night but he had been born in the eighteen hundreds. Something like this seemed more foreign to him than to the humans of the group. "I don't think I could ever get used to this being bigger on the inside."

"It gets easier," said Donna.

"So where should we go?" The Doctor asked the group. "We can check out the founding of Sunnydale or very start of the Hellmouth. We can go solve the cases within your own time or just go out and have some chips."

"Can I vote for all of the above?" Giles asked mostly seriously.

"Why not," said the Doctor.

"We can't just go off and leave Dawn," said Buffy. "She will wonder what happened to us. Can we wait till she gets home?"

"Dawn can't come," said the Doctor.

"Why not?" Buffy demanded.

"It has to do with what she is," said the Doctor seriously." I don't think she would be compatible with the TARDIS. Plus we are in a time machine. We can be back here just after the point that we leave from."

"Alright, Doctor. Let's go," said Buffy who was wondering just what the Doctor could possibly know about Dawn. At least Dawn couldn't get into any trouble within a few moments, hopefully.

"Allons-y!" With that he started hitting levers, typing in coordinates, pushing buttons, and generally making a big show of flying the TARDIS. The TARDIS kept knocking everyone off their feet who was not holding on to something. After mere moments the movement ceased. "We're here."

"Where is here?" Buffy asked.

"Let's go find out," said the Doctor as he grabbed his beloved brown coat.

AN: We have now reached the end of chapter 3. I don't quite know how many chapters this story will be. I am still kind of planning it out as I go. I thought it was important to use the first few chapters to get the characters established. Now we can move on. The gang's first adventure in the TARDIS is coming up in chapter 4 so stay tuned. I appreciate reviews so don't hesitate to hit that review button. Until next time.


	4. First Adventure

Hellmouth or Time Rift

Ch.4 First adventure

A/N: I just realized I haven't updated this story since August. I apologize for that. This year just seemed to fly by and I was super busy with school, work, and being in a production of Buffy the vampire slayer once more with feeling. Here is the next chapter without any further delays.

"It looks like the TARDIS had us land at night so that Spike could accompany us on our adventure," said the Doctor as he patted the side of the TARDIS before stepping out into the darkness to see where they had landed.

It was obvious at first glance that the group was still in Sunnydale and it wasn't that far in the past. The town looked pretty much the same as when they had left except for the fact that there was a large tower that looked like it was still under construction.

The rest of the group filed out behind the Doctor into the night air and saw the tower that was ahead of them. The Doctor and Donna didn't think anything of the tower before them, but the Scooby gang all looked panicked at the sight of the tower looming in front of their eyes. It was a sight that all of them had hoped to never see again since it was associated with so many bad memories. That was the spot where Dawn had been bled out to open the portals and it was the spot where Buffy had died.

The Doctor noticed the panicked looks on everyone's faces and wanted to know what the looks meant. "What does this tower mean to all of you? That seems to be where everyone is staring and you lot look terrified of this tower."

"This place holds bad memories for us and if the tower is not finished yet than that means that Glory is here," replied Buffy in a somber voice.

"Who is Glory?" Donna asked the group.

It was Giles who decided to answer since everyone else was reluctant to say. "Glory is short for Glorificus. She was a hell god who was stranded on earth. I feel like there is something else about her I should be remembering. Anyways, she wanted to use Dawn's blood to go home back to her own hell dimension. "

"Not this again," said Spike. "Are you all forgetting that Ben is Glory?"

"Ben and Glory know each other?" Willow asked Spike.

"I can't be here again after what Glory did to me last time," said a panicked Tara. "I just know she will suck out my mind again."

"I will never let Glory touch you again, Tara," said Willow as she put a comforting arm around her girlfriend. "We are all stronger than we were when this happened."

"We really shouldn't be here," said the Doctor. "The TARDIS probably brought us here for a reason, but this is crossing over each and every one of your time lines. If any of you were to change anything here, than the future would change along with it. It sounds like this was something major that happened, but this is not a fixed point. The events here can change, but the future would still change along with it. The TARDIS probably brought you here since there is something that can and should be done if you want."

"There is nothing that needs to be changed," said Buffy with a stern look at the Doctor.

"Can you tell me what could be changed?" The Doctor asked with a look that matched Buffy's.

"There are a couple things that could be changed, but I don't want to mess around with the future. What if everything was completely different when we got back to our own time? What if it turned out one of us had died as a result of changing something here? Would we just fade out of existence?" Buffy thought hard about what it would mean to change the past. She could let Dawn sacrifice herself and that would solve so many problems and it is probably what the Doctor would want done. Dawn wasn't even supposed to exist and she thought about a conversation she had with Giles about making sacrifices and if you could do it all over again, than she would have let Dawn die to keep the balance. Now that she had the chance to redo this moment, she couldn't bring herself to make a different decision that she had the first time. "There is nothing I want to change," Buffy finally said.

"This is completely up to you, but please tell me what could be different," requested the Doctor.

"Dawn would cease to exist and I never would have died here," said Buffy quietly. "Dawn was supposed to die after the portals were open, but I took her place instead and died. Willow brought me back to life and I was miserable when I got back since I had been ripped out of heaven.

"I'm so sorry," said the Doctor. "Are we at a point before the portals were open?"

"Yes, since the tower is not complete yet," said Willow who remembered the events of this time as well as Buffy since this had to be right around the time that Tara was attacked by Glory.

"If we could defeat Glory now, than Tara would never be attacked, Dawn wouldn't have to sacrifice herself, and Buffy would never have died," said Willow who was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that the Doctor's ship had brought them to this moment. "The only problem is we got lucky last time. I don't even remember what happened to Glory after the portals were closed."

"Does no one pay attention?" Spike asked the group. "This is the same as last time with all of you not remembering that Ben is Glory. We just need to kill Ben and the problem will be solved."

"What do you mean Ben is Glory?" The Doctor asked Spike. "How are they the same person?"

"There was this bloke called Ben who worked at the hospital," began Spike. "Apparently as a punishment, Glory was reborn as a male human. She learned to come through back into the world for short periods of time. The only problem is humans don't remember that Ben is Glory even if they have just seen one change into the other."

"It would seem to me that there was a perception filter placed on Ben/Glory that was working in addition to the one already surrounding this town. It must have been intended for humans. Why would anyone besides a human care that Ben and Glory were the same person? Do you remember what happened to Glory after the portals closed? Did she go home or revert back to Ben?" The Doctor was quickly forming multiple theories in his head even as he was speaking. It was possible that someone from this group killed Ben and therefore also killed Glory. It is possible that no one would even remember performing the act. Someone here was capable of killing an innocent human being to save the world. He knew Spike would not be capable of such an act because of his chip, Dawn must have been up on the tower, and Buffy was already dead by this point. That left the witches, Xander, or Giles. The Doctor was betting that it was Giles who had performed the act or Willow because of what it seemed Glory had done to her girlfriend. "If I am correct, and I usually am, than that means that one of you killed Ben."

"I killed Ben and I can't remember why I would do such a thing," said Giles. He had never admitted this murder to the rest of the group before. For some reason he thought that killing Ben would solve their Glory problem, and it had since they never had any trouble from Glory again.

The Doctor gave Giles a wary look. There was definitely more to this man than met the eye. He could see some darkness lurking in the eyes of this man. The Doctor dragged his gaze away from Giles to look at the whole group once more. "I will ask once more time. Would you like to change anything here or shall we continue on our way?"

"Everything worked out for the best in the end," said Buffy. "I am better now than I was when I first got back. There were no other serious side effects to what was done here."

"I have a feeling that isn't quite true," said the Doctor. "Dawn still being around and you coming back from the dead will all have consequences even if they have not happened already. You have seen past and now I would like to show you the future. We can always come back here as long as we arrive after we leave. "

"Nothing will make me change the events here," said Buffy firmly.

"Very well then," replied the Doctor in a cheery voice he had not had a moment before. "Everyone back into the TARDIS and we will go see what the future holds. Normally I don't let passengers see their own past or future, but you lot are much different from the people I normally take along on adventures."

Everyone piled back into the TARDIS and the Doctor ran up to the console and began pulling levers and hitting buttons sending all of them on a very jerky ride into the future. When they arrived a few minutes later the Doctor informed them that they were only a few months into the future from their point of view before opening the TARDIS door to let them all have a look.

"Where are we," asked Tara as she gazed out the door and saw nothing but a large crater.

"You are currently looking at Sunnydale in just a few months time," replied the Doctor sadly.

"There is nothing here," said Buffy. "What happened to the town?"

"Well I see a school bus on the other side of the crater," said the Doctor. "I could always go and ask whoever is over there what happened to the town. It would be best if all of you stayed here in case any of you are among that group."

"Please go find out," said Willow who was desperate to hear any news.

"Come along, Donna," beckoned the Doctor. "We are going to go find out what happened."

It was a relatively short walk to get to the side of the crater where the bus was currently parked. There was a group of people just standing there, gazing out into the space that once held their city. He spotted Buffy standing closest to the crater and approached her first. He had also seen most of the others, but there were many new faces as well and some that were missing. He also noticed that Xander had an eye patch.

"Come to see what remains of Sunnydale?" Buffy asked the man who had approached her. The Doctor was so sure he was going to tell the group everything when he and Donna returned to the TARDIS that they would know this was coming and know how to prevent it. "What happened here?" The Doctor asked the slayer.

"Can't you guess?" Buffy asked in retaliation. Too much had happened since he dropped them off after seeing this future and he had never even told them why this would happen when he had to know. There had been too much loss this day for her to want anything to do with this alien being. "Even after everything you told us and showed us, I still couldn't make a different decision. "

"This was the result of your choices. Would you make the same decisions all over again knowing what you know now?"

"I don't know," said Buffy. "Obviously nothing changed. Is that me over there?" Buffy pointed to the TARDIS and saw everyone gathered around the outside of the TARDIS except for Spike who was of course inside. She wished she could see him one more time. "Is it still possible for all of this to change?"

"I'm sure I must have tried to change your mind," said the Doctor. "You will lose your sister and maybe others if you change anything."

"Tell the past me what happens here," said Buffy sadly. "Tell me that Xander will lose his eye, Tara will die, Anya will come back to Xander only to die, that so many young girls will die, and that Spike is going to give up his own life to save the lives of so many people. Sunnydale will be no more and that this is all because I wouldn't let my sister close that portal herself. I never should have saved her or I never should have been brought back to life. The first evil was able to make this happen because of those events in the past."

"Time can be rewritten, but in the past you obviously made the choice to not change anything," said the Doctor. "There is nothing I can do."

"Promise me you will at least try to change my mind," Buffy said with such sincerity that the Doctor could do nothing but nod his head promising he would. "You should get back to the TARDIS."

The Doctor walked away from the future group and back around the crater to his traveling companions. He wanted to keep his promise and tell this group everything he had learned, but that could be messing with the future too much. Sometimes it was hard being the one who had to bear the burden of knowing what was to come from choices made in the past.

"Save your sister and this is the result," said the Doctor. He felt this was the most information he could give without giving this group too much knowledge of the future.

"I can't make that decision right now," replied a horrified Buffy. "Can we go back to the present now?"

"Of course," said the Doctor.

Once everyone was back in the TARDIS, the Doctor started going through the motions of getting his ship to travel through the vastness of time. "You know," began the Doctor. "We don't have to go back to your present time right now and we don't have to observe anything directly related to your lives. We could just go on an adventure if any of you would like to go."

"Maybe traveling some more with you would help me think about what the choices are," said Buffy. "If I go back to my ordinary life right now, than I don't think I could ever come to a decision. Maybe that is how it should be since that is what would happen if I had never met you, but now that I know, I can't just sit around and do nothing. We can still return to the moment we left at any point, right?"

"No matter how long we travel in the TARDIS, I can still have you all back home the moment you left. Is there anyone who doesn't want to go?" The Doctor asked the entire group. He could tell that Tara was looking hesitant, but didn't say anything since it was obvious that Willow wanted to go along on an adventure. Xander of course looked eager to travel. Giles looked unsure, but didn't say anything. Spike looked at Buffy and then shrugged.

"Spike you may come, but I need to know a few things about you," said the Doctor. "It would definitely be tricky having a vampire on the TARDIS for an uncertain amount of time. "I need your promise that you won't bite anyone."

"I can't even bite anyone with this bloody chip in my head," said Spike. "Plus I have a soul now and don't want to bite anyone," Spike quickly added after a glace in Buffy's direction.

"I can remove that chip for you if you want," offered the Doctor. "A simple piece of human technology should be no problem to remove.

"Thanks, mate," said Spike with genuine pleasure. No one else had even mentioned him getting the chip removed since they found out he had his soul back.

"It is possible you might not be compatible with some planets and it is also possible that there are planets where you can walk in the sunlight. This could actually be very fascinating seeing how a vampire reacts to planets outside of this solar system," said the Doctor thoughtfully.

"The one problem that could arise is your need for blood," said the Doctor. "What do you do now to get blood?"

"I either nick some from the hospital or get some from the butcher," said Spike.

"We can probably find you a source then," said the Doctor. It was not hard to miss the note of excitement in his voice as he spoke with the vampire.

"So it would seem that everyone is coming," said the Doctor. "I can't remember ever having so many people in the TARDIS at once."

"Oi, Spaceman," said Donna from across the console room who had been feeling kind of neglected. "Are we still going to go to Midnight?"

"Of course," replied the Doctor. "I did promise you that we would go there and I think this group might enjoy Midnight as well."

"Sounds like my kind of planet," said Spike.

"It is actually a very sunny planet," replied the Doctor.

"Well off we go" the Doctor called out cheerfully. "Everyone hold onto something and we should be there in no time." The Doctor had a look of manic glee which was just a little bit terrifying to the new inhabitants of the TARDIS as the ship flew off into the vortex.

A/N: So here ends chapter four. I will try to have more regular updates over the summer, but once school starts back up again they will go back to being irregular. Coming up in the next chapter will be the gang's adventure on Midnight. Midnight is such a good episode and I hope I can write it well.


	5. Midnight

A/N: So I have been forgetting to do a disclaimer. So I am just going to make this one count for the rest of the chapters. I do not own Doctor Who or Buffy. I wish I did, but sadly I don't. So I am going to try to do a chapter either once a week or once every other week. I also have my series of reveals for Merlin that I am working on. It has also been awhile since I have updated my story the Winchesters and Aliens and I want to try and finish that story this summer. Stories will be updated when I can find the time in between working and playing dungeons and dragons.

So here is chapter five which will be set during the Doctor Who episode called Midnight. Not much happened in that episode, but it is one of my favorites. There is also the added bonus that Colin Morgan who plays Merlin is in that episode. In Doctor Who he plays Jethro and he was one of my favorites before I even saw the show Merlin. The last thing I want to say is that I will not be taking exact dialogue from the episode and since there are more characters than were in the episode that will mean there will be changes. I might keep some of the dialogue the same, but I might have different people saying the dialogue. There is quite a lot of dialogue in that episode and I just can't include it all. I promise that this author's note is over now. Enjoy!

Ch.5 Midnight

"Have we actually reached our destination this time, Doctor?" Donna asked in a skeptical voice. She loved travelling with the Doctor and wanted to continue travelling with him for the rest of her life. That didn't mean that she didn't get annoyed when they ended up somewhere other than their intended destination. That seemed to happen way too often.

The Doctor, Donna, and the scoobies had just exited the TARDIS which had landed in an inconspicuous place off in a corner. The only one who remained in the TARDIS was Spike. He was making sure he wouldn't be reduced to ashes before coming out. The rest were standing just outside of the TARDIS looking around at the dome they were in.

"I'm positive we are on Midnight," responded the Doctor. "This planet is absolutely brilliant. We shouldn't even be able to visit Midnight because of how harmful the sun is, but this enclosure protects everyone from the harmful rays. It is a shame more of this planet can't be seen since it is supposed to be absolutely beautiful."

"So we are on an alien planet?" Xander asked without being able to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Yes, but you most likely will not meet any aliens here," said the Doctor. "Apparently this planet has never been inhabited before. Humans came to this planet and lowered the dome we are currently in onto the planet's surface. Most likely I am the only alien here." The Doctor was excited to see Xander enthusiasm at being on a different planet. He wondered if he should take fans of science fiction travelling with him more often if this was their reaction to being on another planet. This is why the Doctor took humans with him in the first place. He had seen everything there is to see multiple times and wanted to experience the excitement of being in a new place through the eyes of another.

"So let's go find something to do while we are here," said Buffy who clearly wanted to get her mind off their previous trip to her own past and future.

"I think I see a sign over there that lists the activities that are offered," said Giles who had stepped away from the group and was looking around. "It looks like there is an educational trip to see the sapphire waterfalls, there is an anti gravity restaurant, and it looks like there is a place where you can go sunbathing, swimming, and enjoy spa treatments. "

"You can count me out for the educational trip," said Buffy. "I could use some relaxation in a spa."

"I am definitely joining you there," said Donna."

"School is not really my thing," said Xander. "I think I might just wander around for awhile and explore this place."

"Educational trip sounds like fun," said Giles and Willow together.

"I just want to explore," said Tara who was looking at Willow. "Do you mind, Willow?"

"That is completely fine," Willow replied. "You can go off exploring with Xander.

"Spike!" The Doctor called into the TARDIS. "I'm sure it is fine for you to come out. This isn't the same sun as the Earth. It is not even the same type of sun. This sun gives out X-tonic rays which are harmful to everyone, but shouldn't be any worse for a vampire than a human."

Spike gingerly stepped out of the TARDIS and was relieved when he didn't burst into flames. "I heard the options from the TARDIS. I think I will join the Watcher and witch on the educational trip."

"Lovely," said the Doctor. "That will make it the four of us then for the trip to the sapphire waterfall."

"You want to go on an educational trip, Spike?" Buffy asked her boyfriend in a skeptical voice.

"I don't think sunbathing is really for me, love," Spike quipped. "Besides, this trip sounds like it could be an interesting."

"Fantastic," said the Doctor. "It appears this trip is four hours there and four hours back. We can all meet up in the anti gravity restaurant when we return for dinner."

The group separated and all went to their intended destinations. The Doctor, Giles, Spike, and Willow were just in time to get seats on the Crusader. Apparently tickets were typically booked in advance, but since the Crusader wasn't full for this trip, they were able to get tickets without any problems. When they boarded there were only six other passengers. Each of them received complimentary snacks, slippers, and headphones. Instructions were given and the shields were lowered. It was then that the trouble began. All of them were subjected to the worst torture they could imagine. There was loud music, loud cartoons, and obnoxious lights all around them.

"Doctor, I don't think I can take four hours of this," said Giles with Willow nodding her head in agreement.

"Bloody hell," said Spike. "This is definitely worse than the bloody chip in my head. If they wanted to prevent vampires from killing people, than they should have just subjected all of us in the Initiative to this kind of torture."

"Hang on a moment," said the Doctor as he fished his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He very discreetly disabled the entertainment system. The only one who seemed to notice what he had done outside of his group was a blond woman across the aisle that he nodded to and got a smile in response.

The rest of the passengers seemed pleased by the fact that they would not be subjected to that torment for the four hours there and back.

"What are we supposed to do now for all this time?" A man with short dark hair asked.

"I guess we will just have to talk to each other," said the Doctor with a smile on his face. "Why doesn't everyone introduce themselves? I'll start. Hello, I'm the Doctor. These are my friends, Giles, Willow, and Spike." Each of them gave a sign of acknowledgment as their names were called.

"I'm Professor Hobbes," said the Professor. "This is my assistant Dee Dee." The Professor was a slightly older man who was balding with glasses. His assistant was a young black woman with her hair pulled back and glasses.

"I'm Biff Kane and the woman next to me is my wife Val. The young man over there is our son Jethro," said Biff. Biff was a youngish man with short dark brown hair and a dark beard. Val was a slim woman with medium length blonde hair. Their son Jethro was a very pale teen with dark, almost black hair. He was dressed in all black and had black nail polish on.

"I'm Sky Silvestry," said a slightly older woman with long blond hair who was dressed in a business suit.

The time began to pass rather quickly as everyone began talking about themselves. The Doctor was having a great time talking to everyone and learning more about his travelling companions on the Crusader. He heard an amusing story from Biff about an abstract pool. The Doctor found out that Sky had recently become single and had decided to travel. The Professor was on his fourteenth journey on Midnight and was studying the nonexistent history of the planet. The Professor even had a slide show with him of his research of Midnight. The Doctor even learned of the lost moon of Poosh from Dee Dee.

Willow and Giles were having a difficult time trying to make conversation with the other passengers. All of these people were from so far in their future and they didn't know how to begin a conversation. It appeared to them that the Doctor was good at talking to strangers since he had been to so many different places and times and could understand what was being said. That is not to say that they did not enjoy hearing the stories the others had to tell. They just listened instead of contributing their own stories.

Spike found himself getting along rather well with Jethro. Jethro, who was more into the Goth style, could relate to the bleach haired vampire in the long leather duster, much to his parent's disapproval. Spike who had grown up in the 1800s and had to adapt to the passing time and trends was able to more easily fit in and adapt in this situation than Willow or Giles. Spike spoke of Earth music he was fond of such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. He was surprised to learn that the people of the future, at least Jethro had heard of these bands.

"It appears that we have stopped," Giles remarked to the group. "It can't have been four hours already."

"It is way too soon for us to have arrived," said Professor Hobbes. "The Crusader never stops."

"We have most certainly stopped," said Giles.

"We can't have," said Professor Hobbes.

"Well obviously we have," replied Giles in an annoyed voice.

"I'll just go speak with the driver and find out what is happening," said the Doctor. He held out his psychic paper to the Hostess who tried to stop him from getting to the driver.

Everyone waited silently while the Doctor was up front talking with the Driver. As soon as the Doctor returned and tried to assure everyone that everything was fine, that is when the arguments started breaking out over whether or not they had broken down and how much air they had left. It was Dee Dee who assured everyone that they had enough air to last them for possibly ten years.

Very soon they heard knocking on the outside of the Crusader. Sky began panicking and everything was happening so quickly. Before they knew it, Sky wasn't moving, the Crusader had gone dark, chairs were ripped up, and the knocking had stopped. Soon after that they learned that the cabin with the driver and the mechanic was gone and that both of those men were now dead.

"Sky, are you alright?" The Doctor asked the blond woman up front. There was no response, but slowly Sky lowered her hands from her head and turned to face the group. The eyes held something alien in them that no one could recognize.

"Sky, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked.

"Sky, can you hear me?" Sky echoed.

"What happened to you, Sky?" The Doctor asked.

"What happened to you, Sky?" Sky repeated.

"Can you stop that?" The Doctor asked with a worried tone.

"Can you stop that?" Sky said, once again repeating whatever the Doctor was saying.

The Doctor walked back to the group who was gathered at the back of the Crusader. Everyone seemed to be panicking except for those from Sunnydale who were accustomed to strange occurrences from living on top of the Hellmouth. More arguing continued and the panic began to increase. It was Jethro who noticed at the same time as the Doctor that Sky was now speaking in sync with everyone present.

"Stop it, just stop it!" Val and Sky yelled at the same time.

"Mrs. Kane, I think we should stay silent and keep away from Sky for the moment," said the Doctor and Sky.

"She is taking our voices," said Val and Sky. "What do you propose we do?"

"We should throw her out," said the Hostess and Sky.

"No one is getting thrown out," said the Doctor and Sky. "I don't think any of you could actually murder anyone."

"I could do it," said the Hostess and Sky.

"I could as well," said Biff and Sky.

Soon everyone except for the Doctor and Jethro were willing to throw Sky out onto Midnight. Giles figured there was nothing that could be done since he was not familiar with this type of possession. Willow did not know of any spell that could remove an alien consciousness from a human being. Spike figured that was the most logical action to take. All three of them had to admit that throwing Sky out on to Midnight was the best option to save everyone.

"I couldn't murder anyone," said Jethro and Sky.

"You don't know what you're saying," said Val and Sky. "You're still young."

"So I don't get a vote?" Jethro and Sky asked.

"There is no vote," said the Doctor and Sky. "No one is getting thrown out."

"Are you in this with her?"Biff and Sky asked the Doctor. "You were talking with her earlier before all of this happened?"

"Don't be stupid," said the Doctor and Sky.

"Who are you calling stupid?" Professor Hobbes and Sky asked the Doctor. "Who are you people?"

"I told you already. I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor and Sky.

"That isn't a proper name," said Val and Sky.

"I'm John Smith," said the Doctor and Sky.

"No one is actually named John Smith," said Biff and Sky.

"The Doctor and his friends just turned up at the gate as we were about to depart," said the Hostess. "They didn't buy tickets in advance like the rest of you."

"Listen to me!" The Doctor and Sky yelled. "You are going to have to get through me if you want to get to her. This consciousness is just seeing a bunch of stupid humans right now. Is this how you want to be viewed by a brand new life form?"

"You say humans like you aren't one of us," said Val and Sky.

"You do seem to be getting some sort of glee out of this," said Professor Hobbes and Sky.

"I am terrified like the rest of you, but this is a brand new form of life and I find that fascinating," said the Doctor and Sky.

"We don't even really know who you are, Doctor," said Giles and Sky. "These people are right. You aren't human and I don't know why we ever decided to trust you."

"Not you too, Giles," said the Doctor and Sky sadly.

"Well that settles it," said Professor Hobbes. "We throw both of them out since they are obviously in this together. "We can't trust anyone who isn't human."

"If you want to get to the Doctor or this woman Sky, than you will have to go through me," said Spike.

"We have no quarrel with fellow humans," said the Hostess.

"Do I look even remotely human to you?" Spiked asked as he vamped out. This brought screams from the other inhabitants who did not know he was a vampire. "I would like to see you try to get to them," said Spike who made sure his fangs were showing as he spoke and had his yellow gaze shifting from human to human.

"I knew you hadn't changed, Spike," said Giles. "I don't know what Buffy even sees in a monster like you."

"Maybe we should just all sit down and talk about this," said Willow who sat down on the ground and was soon joined by Jethro.

Jethro was scared out of his mind but he had found the vampire and Doctor to be cool. Even though something inside of himself was telling him to agree with his parents and chuck out those who weren't human, the part of him that was different was telling him something else. He had a different outlook on life and the world. That was partly why he dressed and acted differently to his family. "I think we should just stop," said Jethro.

"Thank you," said the Doctor and Sky. "Spike, can you please go back to your human visage and stop scaring everyone. Everything will work out fine. The driver sent out a distress signal right when the Crusader stopped. A rescue vehicle should arrive anytime now."

"Has anyone else noticed that Sky has not been speaking with any of us besides the Doctor for awhile now," said Giles.

"She has let us go?" Val asked.

"What does this mean?" The Doctor and Sky asked. The Doctor approached Sky and looked right into her eyes. "Why have you let the others go? Do you only need my voice? Do you need the cleverest voice in the room?"

"Just look at the two of them," said Biff. "We just need to throw both of them out and we will all be fine."

"Sky, I want to understand you," said the Doctor and Sky ignoring Biff. "If you want voice, or life, or form, you don't have to steal it. Let me..."

"Help you," finished Sky.

"Help you," repeated the Doctor

"She spoke first," said Dee Dee. "I definitely saw her speak first."

"It looks like it passed into him," said Val.

"That's not what happened," said Dee Dee.

"I think it is letting me go," said Sky.

"I think it is letting me go," said the Doctor.

"I can feel myself coming back to life," said Sky.

"I can feel myself coming back to life," said the Doctor.

"Professor, help me," said Sky raising her arms up.

"Professor, help me," repeated the Doctor.

The Professor came over and helped Sky up and got her away from the Doctor. She was immediately hugged by Val and brought as far away from the Doctor as possible.

"When I was possessed, I couldn't move," said Sky.

"When I was possessed, I couldn't move," said the Doctor.

"Now I can move and he can't," said Sky.

"Now I can move and he can't," said the Doctor.

"I think we need to stay away from Sky," said Dee Dee.

"The consciousness is no longer in her,' said Val. "It moved into the Doctor. I saw it pass into him."

"That's not what happened," said Willow. "From what I have seen it repeats, then it catches up, and now it has his voice and his words. It's draining him. "

"Exactly," said Dee Dee. "That is what I think as well.'

"He is in your mind whispering," said Sky.

"He is in your mind whispering," said the Doctor.

"He has been alone for so long," said Sky.

"He has been alone for so long," said the Doctor.

"In the dark and the cold," said Sky.

"In the dark and the cold," said the Doctor.

"Then we all came along," said Sky.

"Then we all came along," said the Doctor.

"Bodies so hot with blood," said Sky.

"Bodies so hot with blood," said the Doctor.

"Throw him out," said Sky.

"Throw him out," said the Doctor.

"Stop this right now," said Spike. "The Doctor is not getting thrown out." Spike vamped out once again and tried to get to Sky, but the other humans tried to hold him back. Spike was still unable to hurt anyone since the Doctor had not removed the chip from his brain yet. The others didn't know that. "I swear I will drain anyone who tries to chuck the Doctor out."

"You can't hurt anyone," said Sky.

"You can't hurt anyone," said the Doctor.

"Throw him out," said Sky.

"Throw him out," said the Doctor.

Biff began to drag the Doctor to the airlock, but the Doctor's shoe became stuck on a chair. Chaos was happening all around them and still Sky was speaking with the Doctor repeating.

"Molto Bene," said Sky.

"Molto Bene," said the Doctor.

"Allons-y," said Sky.

"Allons-y" said the Doctor.

It was at this moment that other began to realize that Sky was still the one who was possessed and that she had stolen the Doctor's voice. The Hostess had heard the Doctor use these words earlier in the trip and Giles recognized the words as well. Biff, Val, and the Professor were the only ones who still wanted to throw the Doctor out the airlock.

"She has his voice," said the Hostess. "We need to throw her out." The Hostess grabbed Sky and was about to open the airlock when Willow stopped her and pulled the Hostess back. "What are you doing?" The Hostess demanded of Willow.

"Let me," said Willow as she raised her hand and opened the airlock with magic. Sky flew out onto the surface of Midnight to be reduced to ash. The door immediately closed as soon as Sky was out the door.

The Hostess was about to comment on what clearly looked like magic but was distracted by the Doctor falling to the ground.

"It's gone, it's gone, it's gone," the Doctor kept repeating as he gasped for breath on the ground.

Twenty minutes later the rescue vehicle arrived to pick up the passengers of the Crusader. Those twenty minutes had been spent in complete silence. No one knew what to say to each other. Everyone was sitting as far away from one another as possible.

Not much later, everyone arrived back at the leisure palace. The rest of the scoobies having heard that there was some problem with the Crusader had decided to wait by the gate to see if their friends would make it back safely.

As soon as the passengers stepped off of the Crusader, Buffy had thrown herself into Spike's arms. The Doctor and Donna gave each other a solemn hug and Donna, noticing the look of horror on the Doctor's face, held him tighter. Tara embraced Willow and held her that way for quite awhile with tears running down her cheeks. Xander gave Giles an awkward pat on the shoulder. All of them went on to the anti gravity restaurant to eat before getting back on the TARDIS. The others wanted to hear exactly what had happened on the journey. It was difficult for any of those who had been through the experience to really describe what had happened.

During their meal, the Kane family arrived in the restaurant as well and spotted the Doctor and his group of friends. They hesitated before making their way over.

"I want to apologize for trying to throw you out," said Biff.

"I also want to apologize," said Val. "We just weren't strong enough to resist the influence of whatever that consciousness was. It looks like our son is better than us."

"Maybe I just resisted because I am young," said Jethro with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Jethro, I hope to run across you again someday," said the Doctor holding out his hand which Jethro took.

"If I ever run into you again I will bring you some decent albums," said Spike to Jethro.

"Thanks," said Jethro. "So are you a vampire?"

"Yeah, but I don't drink from humans anymore," said Spike.

"Cool," said Jethro. "Hope to run into all of you again, but under better circumstances.

"Aha!" The Doctor exclaimed, suddenly regaining some of his old enthusiasm. "I kept trying to think of why you looked so familiar. You are the spitting image of the sorcerer Merlin. I wonder if there is any relation."

"Who knows," said Jethro with a shrug.

"Come along, Jethro," said Val. Jethro waved to the group and left with his parents.

Once the group was done eating, they made their way back to the TARDIS. The mood was a little lighter after speaking with the Kane family, but it would take some time to get over the trauma of the day.

"So where to next?" The Doctor asked the group.

"I am up for anything," said Xander.

"Allons-y," said the Doctor.

"Allons-y," Donna repeated.

The Doctor stopped and turned to stare at his travelling companion. "Don't do that, just don't." The group then entered the TARDIS and the Doctor tossed his coat to the side and ran to the controls. He began pulling levers to take them all to their next destination, wherever that would be. They were all glad to leave Midnight behind.

A/N: So here is the end of chapter five. I hoped you all enjoyed the new chapter. I wanted to do Midnight justice while still keeping this as my own story. Hopefully I succeeded. As always I appreciate those who read and review my stories. So I wasn't going to make any mention of Merlin in this story, but I couldn't resist. I think I might do a one shot in connection to this story of the Doctor and possibly Spike going to meet Merlin. I also really want Jethro to show up again at some point, but that may not be for awhile.


	6. Don't Blink

Hellmouth or Time Rift

A/N: So I have decided to go out of order with episodes. I started with Midnight and I am going to use other episodes. They might not be from season four of Doctor Who and there may be Doctor Who villains but not a corresponding episode. I just wanted to throw that out there.

Ch.6 Don't Blink

The TARDIS materialized in one of the many Sunnydale graveyards in the early evening. It had just gotten dark out. Buffy had asked the Doctor if they could return to Sunnydale so she could check on Dawn. Even though the Doctor claimed that no time would have passed at all, Buffy still wanted to make sure her little sister was alright. Of course, knowing the TARDIS, the group did not arrive directly after they had left.

"Why is it dark out?" Buffy asked the Doctor. "We left early in the day. Shouldn't it still be morning?"

"About that," began the Doctor. "Sometimes the TARDIS is not too reliable. This is probably the same day that we left.

"Probably?" Buffy questioned. "We need to get home. Why didn't we arrive at my house?"

"The TARDIS seems to be drawn to this graveyard for some reason," the Doctor responded. "I'm just going to leave the TARDIS here for now. We could all do with a nice walk."

"Walking through Sunnydale at night is always a good plan," said Xander sarcastically as everyone began to walk away from him. He jogged to catch up with everyone else and passed by a statue of an angel that looked like it was weeping on his way.

It didn't take long to get back to the Summer's residence. The streets were quiet and there didn't appear to be many people out. Even if most of the town was oblivious to the supernatural, there was still that feeling at night that kept most of the people inside their homes. This evening there were even fewer people out and about.

"That's weird," said Buffy. She spotted a statue of an angel as they were passing by another cemetery.

"What's weird?" The Doctor asked the Slayer.

"I know every cemetery in Sunnydale like the back of my hand," Buffy began. "I should know them since I spend so much time in the various graveyards this town has to offer. I don't remember there ever being an angel statue at the entrance to this particular graveyard."

The Doctor looked around to where Buffy was looking and saw the Weeping Angel. He supposed it could be an ordinary statue, but since it obviously didn't belong there, he felt that he would not be lucky enough that this would turn out to be an ordinary statue. "I need everyone to back away while stick keeping that statue in their sights. When I tell you to, I want everyone to blink and then open their eyes again as quickly as possible."

"What's wrong?" Willow asked while grabbing Tara's hand.

"I am just testing a theory," replied the Doctor.

As a group everyone backed away until they were across the street from the angel. At the Doctor's signal they all quickly blinked before resuming staring at the angel. What shocked everyone except for the Doctor was the fact that the angel was now much closer to them.

"Nobody blink," commanded the Doctor in a controlled voice. "Everyone keep the Weeping Angel in your sight. We need to get back to Buffy's house as quickly as possible without looking away from the angel. We are going to do this in groups. Half of us will run while the other half is looking at the angel. The first half will stop and look to give the second group time to run to the first group."

"Why are we running from a bloody statue?" Spike asked in a skeptical voice.

"I'll explain back at the house," said the Doctor. "For now just concentrate on getting home. The first group will consist of Xander, Willow, Tara, Giles, and Donna. Start running while I along with Buffy and Spike keep looking at the angel. Go now!"

The first group took off running as the second group kept watch and on this went until they were back at Buffy's house. Thankfully this plan had worked and they were back inside and were able to prevent the angel from following them if it had been planning to follow them at all.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled up the stairs, hoping that her sister was in the house.

"Buffy!" Dawn yelled back down the stairs before running to greet her sister. "Where have you been for the past week?"

"We have been gone a week?" Buffy asked her sister.

"Yeah and I was worried since people have been going missing around town this past week. I thought something had happened to all of you," said Dawn who sounded relieved that her sister and friends were not among those who were missing.

"You know people are always going missing in Sunnydale," replied Buffy.

"Not like this," said Dawn. "According to Clem even vampires and demons are going missing.

"You were hanging out with Clem?" Buffy asked slightly shocked to hear about her sister hanging out with a demon.

"He is not bad like other demons and I didn't know who else to turn to when all of you went missing," said Dawn slightly dismissively. "Anyways, where have you been all this time?"

"We were travelling with the Doctor," said Buffy who turned around to glare at the Doctor for a moment before turning back to her sister. "He said he could have us back a moment after we left."

"Look this is not the time for a spat," said Donna cutting into the conversation. "Has anyone else forgotten the statue back there that was after us?"

"Sorry," said Buffy. "Okay Doctor, enlighten us on what these Weeping Angel things are."

"The lonely assassins they used to be called," began the Doctor in response to Buffy's question of what a Weeping Angel was. "No one really knows how old they are. They have the most perfect defense imaginable."

"They're just statues," said Xander.

"They are only statues when they are being observed," explained the Doctor. "As soon you look away or blink even for a moment that is when they come alive. They are faster that you can believe."

"So how do we kill them?" Buffy asked the Doctor.

"You can't kill a Weeping Angel," said the Doctor. "The most you can do is trick them into looking at each other. I met the Weeping Angels before and they managed to send my friend and me to 1969. I didn't have the TARDIS and had no way of getting back. I managed to get some help from this amazing girl Sally Sparrow. I could communicate to her through a DVD and she managed to get to the TARDIS. The Weeping Angels had surrounded the TARDIS. When it dematerialized they were stuck looking at each other. That is the only way to defeat them."

"So we can't kill them?" Buffy asked just to get clarification.

"No," said the Doctor. "This is a time when being the Slayer won't help you. You can't beat a Weeping Angel with brute strength."

"What do they want?" Willow asked the Doctor.

"Last time they wanted the TARDIS," said the Doctor. "These are different ones from last time so they could have the same plan. A Weeping Angel would love to get a hold of the TARDIS"

"What would happen if a Weeping Angel got inside the TARDIS?" Spike asked.

"The Sun would go out," said the Doctor simply.

"Not too bad for me then," said Spike at an attempt at humor. "Sorry," said Spike after he saw the glares he was getting from everyone in the room, especially his girlfriend.

"Anyways," began the Doctor trying to get everyone to focus again. "I'm not so sure that is why they are here this time. " The Doctor was hesitant to say more. He had a theory as to what the Angels wanted, but he couldn't very well tell everyone with the problem standing right in the room. "I need to discuss something with Buffy before saying anything more about the Angels."

"I don't know anything about these Angels," said Buffy who was confused as to why the Doctor wanted to speak to her alone. She then saw the look that the Doctor was giving her. It was an intense look and he shifted his eyes slightly to the left to where Dawn happened to be standing. "Fine."

Buffy followed the Doctor out of the living room and into the kitchen where they would not be overheard by anyone, except perhaps Spike with his super hearing. "They want Dawn," said Buffy before the Doctor had a chance to explain. "This is what you were implying back there, right? You didn't want to say anything in front of Dawn or the others until you had talked to me."

"I'm just surprised they haven't shown up before now," said the Doctor. "It is true that you live in a very strange town, but why are the Weeping Angels only showing up now after I have arrived? It is possible they could have followed me here."

"You led these psychopaths to my sister," said Buffy venomously. "You are going to fix this. I swear that if my sister dies than I will stake you in both of your hearts."

"If your sister dies, than there will be no need to kill me," replied the Doctor. "If the Weeping Angels get their hands on Dawn than they would be able to destroy the Universe."

"So with your TARDIS it would only be the Sun, but with my sister it would be the whole Universe?" Buffy asked not sure how her sister could be more powerful than an alien ship that could travel through space and time.

"Think about what your sister is and what could have happened with Glory," said the Doctor.

"Dawn can open up portals to anywhere," Buffy began. "She is a key that fits in every lock in the Universe."

"This is worse than I thought," said the Doctor. "What you just said made me realize something I hadn't even considered."

"What is that?" Buffy asked.

"I could be wrong, but I don't think I am," said the Doctor.

"Spit it out already," demanded Buffy.

"What if the Angels wanted to open up the time lock I put on the last great time war?" The Doctor was asking himself more than Buffy. "So many races were involved in the war and no one was winning. I had to stop the war to keep everything from being destroyed. So many planets and species would have been lost forever. I put a time lock on the war so that the Daleks and my own people couldn't get out. My people were about to do atrocious things and I couldn't let them. What if this is what the Angels want? Even if it isn't, anyone with the power to figure out the key could unlock the time war."

"What are you saying, Doctor?" Buffy questioned the ranting alien. "How do I keep my sister safe from being used again?"

"There is no safe where Dawn is concerned," replied the Doctor with a dark look. "If you agree to let your sister close that portal, that was made by Glory, than we don't have to worry about anyone else using the key to destroy the Universe." The Doctor knew he was being harsh, but this was the fate of everything at stake. "The key was never meant to be in human form. Dawn should never have existed." The Doctor placed his hand upon his cheek where Buffy had just slapped him very hard.

"Do not talk about my sister that way," said Buffy in a quiet, venomous voice.

"Well not that we have that settled," began the Doctor who was still rubbing his sore cheek. "We need to decide how to get rid of this latest threat."

"Are you two going to come back out to the living room?" Xander asked as he poked his head into the kitchen.

"Yeah, we're coming," said Buffy and she followed Xander back into the living room. The Doctor was right behind her.

The Doctor noticed everyone lounging around the living room. There was talk of research and even some joking going on. The Doctor supposed that this group was used to threats on almost a daily basis. He figured they had to take everything lightly so that what they had to face at far too young an age wouldn't overwhelm them. The Doctor did much the same on his travels. Sometimes you had to laugh at the darkness just to be able to cope with the evil in the Universe. The only two who were not joking around were Donna and Spike. He understood that Donna didn't know this group and couldn't really share in on their humor. He naturally assumed that Spike had heard the conversation in the kitchen with his super hearing.

When Spike saw the Doctor looking in his direction he got up from his chair and strode over to the Doctor and leaned in close to speak to the Time Lord. "Nothing better happen to the little bit," said Spike quietly. "If you let anything happen to her, than I will see exactly what the blood of a Time Lord tastes like."

"Understood," said the Doctor simply. He didn't think he would ever figure this particular vampire out and what made him different from others of his kind. That was a mystery for another day.

"Buffy, what did you and the Doctor talk about?" Giles asked.

"It was nothing," said Buffy giving a quick look to the Doctor as if to tell him to keep his mouth shut. "We need to figure out a way to at least keep the Weeping Angels out of the house and develop any kind of defense against them. It doesn't seem like there is much in the way of offense we can use against them."

"Mirrors in the windows would help to defend the house," said the Doctor. "Mirrors would make it more difficult to get in because they would be turned to stone and remain stone if they were to view themselves."

"Oh and we could wear mirrored sunglasses," said Xander who was suddenly excited. "We could blink all we want, but they still wouldn't be able to move."

"That's brilliant," said the Doctor who sprinted over to Xander and pulled him into a hug. "I don't know why I never thought of that before. It is so simple and yet so brilliant."

Xander looked pleased with himself and everyone else around the room looked stunned by the fact that Xander had come up with a good idea. Xander figured it was because he was the most average person in the room that he could see a simple solution where others could not.

"So we have defense down," said Buffy. "How do we get rid of them for good?"

"If it were anything else I would say to just drop them in a super nova, but I can't risk them in the TARDIS," said the Doctor.

"Maybe there is a spell that could get rid of them," said Willow.

"Willow you know you don't always have control over your magic," said Tara. "Anything could go wrong and you could inadvertently end up making them more powerful."

"At least let me try to find a spell to use against them," Willow pleaded with her girlfriend. "It won't hurt to at least do the research even if we don't end up using magic. At least it will be there as an option."

"Never hurts to have more than one plan,' said the Doctor trying to diffuse any possible arguments.

"I'm going to go jump online and check the books for anything that could help," said Willow.

"I'll help you," said Tara. The two of them left the living room and retreated to their own room to begin researching.

"I'll go to the Magic Box and see if the books there can tell us anything about these creatures," said Giles.

"Be careful and take someone with you," said the Doctor.

"I'll go with the G-man, said Xander.

"I appreciate the help, but stop calling me G-man, Xander," said an exasperated Giles.

"Everyone is meet back here in the morning," said the Doctor. "I'll go with Donna and pick up some mirrors and sunglasses. Buffy and Spike the best thing you can do is watch over the house and protect Dawn.

Morning came too quickly for anyone's liking. It hadn't taken the Doctor and Donna long to get the necessary supplies and Xander and Giles had returned early in the morning having not found anything useful at the Magic Box. Giles had grabbed some random supplies from around the store that could be helpful in case they did end up using magic.

Everyone met back in the living room after only having a couple hours of sleep the previous night. Only the Doctor, Buffy, and Spike seemed to be truly awake. No one had bothered to wake Dawn up. Everyone had figured it would be best to let her sleep while they planned. The Doctor had already installed mirrors all over the house and everyone was now sporting a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Even Dawn who was asleep was wearing a pair.

"So Willow and Tara, did you find anything useful last night?" The Doctor questioned the witches.

"Possibly," said Willow. "We found an article online from a Professor Song who wrote a paper about the Weeping Angels. According to Professor Song, that which holds the image of an angel becomes an angel. Apparently if you look into their eyes for too long than you will become an angel yourself."

"Fascinating," said the Doctor. "I've never even heard of this Professor Song before."

"She did mention collaborating with a Doctor, well she said the Doctor so maybe you meet her in the future."

"Best if I don't read this article," said the Doctor. "I don't want too many spoilers."

"Anyways, that got me to thinking about an image of an angel," Willow continued. "I wonder what would happen if we could permanently attach a mirror to an angel. Logic would say that the angel would never move again. "

"That theory would be correct," said the Doctor.

"So we were thinking," Tara picked up where Willow had left off. "We could use a simple spell to have a mirror permanently in front of an angel. If we could get the mirror to stay permanently in front of a Weeping Angel, than it should be safe to bring them into the TARDIS."

"Plus if you didn't want to take it in the TARDIS, than we could try a teleportation spell and send them to some remote area where no one is likely to ever go," said Willow who had jumped back into the conversation.

"That is a fantastic idea," said the Doctor. "This is why I love humans. You lot are always so imaginative." The Doctor was beaming with pride at the group. "I have just one thing to add to your plan. I think the mirrors should be double sided. If there is more than one angel and you can teleport them, then maybe having a double sided mirror would doubly ensure them never moving again."

"What if the mirrors got broken during transport?" Spike questioned the witches and the Doctor. "Wouldn't that wreck the plan and we would be left with royally pissed off statues?"

"I've heard of an unbreakable charm before and using that along with a permanent sticking charm should do the trick," said Willow who was quite proud of herself and her girlfriend for coming up with a perfect plan.

"Now all we need to do is catch ourselves some Weeping Angels," said a very determined Buffy. "We'll leave Dawn in the house with Spike since he can't come out in the daylight. The rest of us should be safe as long as we have our mirrored sunglasses on. We will keep in a circle and have every vantage point covered so that one of the Weeping Angels can't sneak up on us. As soon as we have one in sight and it is not covering its face, than Willow and Tara will strike with their spells."

"Do you need more time to practice the spells?" Giles asked Willow and Tara.

"Give us till this afternoon and we should be ready," replied Tara while Willow nodded in reply to what her girlfriend was saying.

Willow and Tara spent the rest of the morning practicing the various spells they would need for when they encountered the Weeping Angels. It was agreed upon that Willow and Tara would split up between two groups so that more ground could be covered. Each witch knew the spells that would have to be performed and it made sense for them to split up, but neither one was happy with splitting up. The groups had been agreed upon before the two went off to practice. The Doctor and Donna would go with Tara and Xander while Buffy would go with Willow and Giles. Spike wished he could go, but he knew that someone needed to stay with Dawn and he wouldn't be much use as a big pile of dust in the sunlight. He was glad that he was now someone who was to be trusted alone in the Slayer's house with the Slayer's little sister.

"Let's go," said Buffy once everyone was prepared. Buffy kept a stake and a sword with her even though they wouldn't be much use against a Weeping Angel. It just made her feel better to have weapons with her when going to confront a big bad.

The two groups split up to go their separate ways. They had divided up the various graveyards in Sunnydale since that seemed to be the most likely place for a Weeping Angel to hide without drawing too much attention. The two groups had managed to find a few Weeping Angels each. Willow had no trouble getting rid of the four her group encountered. Tara had some trouble with her three, but she managed to get them in the end. Getting rid of the angels had been surprisingly easy and that had everyone worried. It was possible that the Scooby gang was just that good, but somehow no one felt entirely at ease after the success of their mission. Everyone had met back at the Magic Box before heading back home.

"Well done everyone," said the Doctor who was clearly impressed.

"I didn't even get to hit anything," said Buffy with a pout.

"Violence is not the answer to everything," said the Doctor.

"How awesome were the mirrored sunglasses?" Xander asked the group since his idea had actually worked well. They didn't have to worry about blinking as Willow and Tara got rid of the angels.

It was just before sunset when the group decided it was time to head back and check on Spike and Dawn. Buffy called ahead to let them know that the Weeping Angels were taken care of.

"I hope this over," said Donna to the group as they were walking back to the house.

"Why wouldn't it be over?" Buffy asked. "We got every angel we could find and then looked in any other obvious places around town on the way back."

"Nothing is ever this simple with the Doctor," Donna said simply with a hint of worry in her voice.

"It is always possible we got lucky this time," said the Doctor.

"Don't jinx is Spaceman," Donna said as she lightly punched the Doctor in the arm.

"Home at last," said Buffy as they approached her house. "I so just want to pop in a movie, eat, and just relax. There hasn't been much time for that lately." Buffy then proceeded to open the front door and was confronted with a terrifying sight. There was a Weeping Angel in the living room with its arm outstretched.

"Spike! Dawn!" Buffy called out.

"What is it?" Dawn called down the steps. "Is everything taken care of?"

"Stay upstairs, but yell down where Spike is," Buffy called up to her sister.

"He just went down the steps a minute before you called up the stairs to me because he heard a noise. Wasn't that you?"

"We just got in, there is an angel down here, and Spike is nowhere to be seen," said Buffy in a panicked voice. "Willow, will you please take care of this thing?" Buffy then proceeded to walk into the kitchen where she let herself break down. Spike was gone now and they had just managed to make thing work between them. Spike had proved he could be a man rather than a monster and had fought to get his soul back to be with her. It wasn't fair that he had to be taken away from her now. Buffy punched a hole in the kitchen wall and regretted her actions a second later. It wasn't like her hand was hurt, but that hole would now need fixing.

The Doctor walked into the kitchen a moment after he had heard Buffy punch the wall. "It is possible that you haven't lost him for good," said the Doctor trying to give Buffy a gleam of hope.

"What do you mean?"Buffy asked as she wiped her tears away.

"Spike is a vampire so that means that no matter how far in the past he was sent, he could still be alive, well undead," The Doctor explained.

"Wouldn't he be here right now if that were the case?" Buffy asked while trying not to get her hopes up.

"He would have needed to hide from himself for who knows how many years," said the Doctor calmly. "It wouldn't have been safe for him to remain in Sunnydale where there was a chance he could meet his past self or run into you. If he is still around than he will probably contact you soon once he's sure he won't be meeting his past self."

"I hope you're right," said Buffy. "I'm not going on anymore adventures with you until I know about Spike."

"Donna and I can carry on for awhile and pop back in to see what has happened in a few weeks," The Doctor offered.

"Thank you," said Buffy.

The Doctor and Donna left that same day to continue on their adventures. Two weeks passed without any sign of Spike and no word from the Doctor. It was evening at the end of the second week when there was a knock on the door. Buffy had been sulking around the house and had been neglecting her Slayer duties. Everyone was worried about her, but they understood why she was upset even if the others hadn't cared for Spike that much.

The others were currently out scouring the town for any traces of bad things going on. The rest of the Scooby gang had been trying their best to help keep the monster population down until Buffy felt up to resuming her duties. At the sound of the knocking on the door that wouldn't go away, Buffy dragged herself off the couch and put Mr. Gordo, her stuffed pig on the couch that she had been cuddling with and went to answer the door. On the other side of the door was a very familiar bleach blond vampire who was currently missing his beloved duster.

"Spike," said Buffy quietly, not quite believing her eyes. "Where the hell have you been?"Now that Buffy could see that Spike was safe, she felt anger rising up inside because he had kept her waiting when he knew she had to have been worried.

"It was a little hard to keep track of the dates," said Spike. "I got sent back almost two hundred years. I remembered the general time that I had been sent back by that bitch of a Weeping Angel, but I didn't want to arrive only to find that there was another me here."

Buffy readily accepted this explanation and threw herself into Spike's arms. Spike hesitated before hugging the Slayer back. It had been so long and he didn't know where things stood between the two of them.

"Tell me what happened after you were sent back," Buffy said in a soft yet commanding voice. "Are you still the man I know?"

"I'm not sure," said Spike. "I am definitely different than I was when I left, but now that I am back with you, it feels like I am the same person. I tried my best to remain good and honorable in the past, but it was difficult without you there with me. After being in the past for awhile I went back to hunting people, but I would always feel guilty afterwards. Sometimes I would save people and sometimes I would drain them dry. It was difficult being a vampire in the past. I needed to survive so that I could see you again, but my actions were not something I am proud of. I have been off human blood for quite some time now and I have been trying to do good deed, but it doesn't make up for the past. I'm starting to sound like that bloody prat, Angel now."

"The past is the past," said Buffy. "Where did you go?"

"I went all around the world," said Spike. "I avoided the places where I knew I would be and I have avoided California especially in these recent years. I spent all this time alone. I never hung out with other vampires and there was never any other love interest. Despite the wrongs I have committed, I have stayed true to you."

By this point Buffy was crying almost as hard as she had been when she had discovered that Spike was taken. "Don't ever leave me like that again," Buffy commanded through her tears.

"Never, love," said Spike and he pulled Buffy closer and leaned in to kiss her for the first time in two hundred years.

Buffy still neglected her Slayer duties for the next couple of days. She didn't want to leave Spike and figured a couple more days wouldn't hurt. Buffy wasn't surprised when the Doctor showed up again a few days later, but she was surprised to see that Donna wasn't with him.

"Where's Donna?" Buffy asked the Doctor after they had said hello.

"She is back with her family now," said the Doctor. "She doesn't remember me or any of our adventures. Her mind would have burned out and she would have died. Hardly any time has passed for you, but for me so much has happened. Everyone is gone now and I am on my own again. That's the life of the last Time Lord."

"Does this have anything to do with the planets that were in the sky?" Buffy asked.

"Donna saved the world and the whole Universe is singing her praises, but she can never know. I have gone on some adventures by myself since then, but it is not the same without a companion. Come with me."

Buffy and Spike looked at each other and held a silent conversation with only their eyes. They had both come to the same decision. "Of course we will go with you," said Buffy.

The Doctor seemed to suddenly perk up. There was still darkness in his impossibly old eyes, but the smile he gave them was sincere. "Allons-y," said the Doctor.

A/N: We have now reached the end of chapter six. For now it will just be Buffy and Spike travelling with the Doctor, but expect the others to make an appearance later on. The Scoobies are not gone for good. I also want to say that this is the longest chapter I have ever written for a story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	7. Medieval Excursion Part 1

A/N: Hi everyone. I have recently completed some of my other stories and I am done with classes so I have time to work on this story again. Sorry I have gone so long without an update. In a previous chapter I mentioned the Doctor thinking that Jethro looked familiar and I was referring to Colin Morgan also playing Merlin. I wrote a one shot called The Doctor in Camelot. I would suggest reading that one shot. It is not super important to read it to understand this chapter, but it wouldn't hurt to read it first.

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><p>Ch.7 Medieval Excursion Part 1<p>

The Doctor, Buffy, and Spike had just entered the TARDIS, but before the door could close, Buffy stared back at the house she was leaving behind. The others would be able to cope without her. Buffy knew that Faith who had recently gotten out of jail to help Angel was on her way to Sunnydale. Everyone didn't know that Buffy had overheard their conversation about bringing the newly reformed Faith back to Sunnydale to help out. The town needed a Slayer and Buffy had been neglecting her duties while she waited for Spike. There was no immediate danger to Dawn now that the Weeping Angels were gone. She needed to get away for awhile with Spike and going on an adventure with the Doctor seemed like just what she needed.

"Is everything alright?" The Doctor asked when he saw that Buffy was still in the doorway staring at her home.

"It will be," replied Buffy with a sigh. She knew she was making the right choice now. She was going to be traveling in a time machine and theoretically come back at any point as long as the Doctor got the times right.

"Come on, love," said Spike as he gently pulled Buffy away from the doors and closed them.

"Should we go forwards or backwards in time?" The Doctor asked his two companions.

"Backwards," said Buffy.

"Forwards," said Spike at the same time as Buffy. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me, Buffy."

"I know the perfect place for us to go," said the Doctor trying to regain some enthusiasm. "It would be great to pop into the past and visit some people I said I would check on. Last time I saw them was when I traveled with Rose…." The Doctor trailed off when he remembered that he had been with Rose the last time.

"So where is it you were thinking of?" Spike asked when he saw the Doctor had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Camelot," said the Doctor with a smile.

"You're kidding me!" Buffy exclaimed. "Will we get to meet King Arthur?"

"We will definitely meet Arthur," said the Doctor. "He was still crowned prince last time I was there. It is possible he could be King now. Don't expect the people we meet to be exactly the same as from the legends. The writers got so much wrong as I learned last time I was there."

"I wonder if he would test his fighting skills against mine." Buffy wondered out loud. "How cool would it be to beat King Arthur in a fight?"

"Just don't do anything to change history," said the Doctor.

Spike was wondering how he was going to get around with the others. This was the main reason he didn't want to go to the past. With another planet there was always the chance that the light there would not turn him to dust. He also wondered if there was something in the future that would allow him to go in the daylight without burning. How he could do in the past was still to the darkness and the shadows. He was bound to look suspicious in Camelot. "Can to ensure we land in the evening?" Spike asked the Doctor. He was English and had been a writer while he was human. Meeting the people from Arthurian legends sounded thrilling to him, but he wanted to experience it like Buffy was about to. At least they would be able to see the castle at the same time.

"Of course," said the Doctor understanding why Spike would want to arrive in the evening. "If you two go into the wardrobe, there are probably some clothes that will fit you. Spike should be able to find a heavy cloak in there that will keep the sun off him."

Spike grabbed some black boots, black trousers, a red tunic, and a black jacket to go over the tunic. He then threw a heavy black cloak over the whole outfit. The outfit really wasn't that much different than what he wears on a daily basis. Buffy was the first one to point out just how similar the outfit was to what he had just taken off.

Buffy was having trouble picking out an outfit. She wanted to look fancy like she had that one Halloween when she had dressed up for Angel, but she also wanted some clothes she could fight in if she had to. Buffy put back a purple velvet dress she had been looking at in favor of something more combat worthy. Buffy changed into a pair of tight fitting black pants and a white tunic. She then put on some kind of shirt that was made of stiff black leather and laced up the front. Finally she threw on some black boots and a belt which she then proceeded to attach a sword to. She was surprised that the Doctor would keep swords, but they were in the medieval section of the wardrobe.

Spike grabbed a sword after he had seen Buffy grabbing one. He looked over at Buffy and couldn't deny that she looked stunning, but he thought it would have been nice to see her in a fabulous dress like he had back when he was still evil and she was still in high school. "You look lovely," said Spike.

"Thanks," said Buffy who came over and gave Spike a small kiss before pulling away. "You almost look the same as you always do, only more medieval which is hot."

"We should get back to the Doctor," said Spike before they ended up being very late meeting back up with the Doctor. "I can't wait to see what kind of outfit he will be in. It will probably be something eccentric."

Buffy responded by laughing until she saw that the Doctor was in his normal brown suit, tan sneakers, and brown coat. She had wanted to see the Doctor dressed up and couldn't understand why they had to dress up if he didn't. "You're seriously going to wear your same old suit?"

"Why not?" The Doctor questioned with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, time to get going now. I've landed us in the evening and close to the citadel. Last time I was here I ended up in the forest and it was quite a walk. I might have gotten lost if it hadn't been for Merlin showing up and showing Rose and I the way. I can't wait to see good old Merlin again. I say old, but when I met him he was barely twenty, but still absolutely brilliant. I got him to reveal that he had magic to the Prince when I was here. I'm sure that all worked out just fine. "

"Doctor?" Buffy asked the Doctor who was standing by the door.

"Hmm?" Responded the Doctor.

"You're blocking the way, mate," said Spike.

"You are also rambling on a bit," added Buffy.

"Sorry," said the Doctor who then proceeded to open the door and lead the two out into the warm evening air. The Doctor had landed them in a discreet place just outside the citadel.

"Wow!" Buffy exclaimed when she saw the citadel. She grabbed Spike's hand and led him forward only to be stopped moments later by the Doctor. "What are we waiting for?"

"There are a couple of rules to go over before we proceed inside," said the Doctor. "Don't wander off, don't talk about magic to anyone but Merlin, Gaius, or Arthur, and don't give away too much information about the future." The Doctor then stepped in front of Buffy and Spike and started to lead them towards the guards to state their purpose.

"Hi there!" The Doctor said enthusiastically to the guards with a cheery wave. "We have just arrived here in Camelot and wish to be taken to the King."

"Follow me," said one guard who started to lead them to the King.

"Spike, what was your name when you were human?" The Doctor whispered to Spike as they were being led by the guard. He couldn't introduce the vampire as Spike.

"William," replied Spike in an equally quiet whisper.

The three time travelers and the guard arrived just outside of the main hall. The Doctor, Spike, and Buffy were instructed to wait while they were announced to the King. The three of them waited in silence since there were more guards waiting outside of the door and they didn't want to be overheard talking. After a few minutes they were instructed to enter the room. They saw that Uther was still on the throne, but he was not looking very well. There was Arthur standing to one side of Uther and another man they did not recognize standing on the other side of the King. Merlin was currently standing a respectful distance from the Prince and slightly off to the side. There were other various nobles in the room. It looked like a court session was just ending. It appeared that the three travelers had arrived at the perfect time.

"Sir Doctor of TARDIS," said King Uther. "We didn't expect to see you back so soon, especially after your abrupt departure last time you were here."

"Yeah," began the Doctor who bowed before the King and motioned for his companions to do the same. "Sorry about leaving so suddenly."

"Who have you brought with you this time?" Uther questioned the group. "Is Dame Rose not with you this time?"

"She is back with her family," explained the Doctor. "These two are some new friends of mine I picked up on my travels. They are Buffy and William who are both warriors who spend most of their time fighting various evil entities."

"So they should be great allies in the war against magic," said Uther with a pleased look on his face. "The three of you are welcome to stay here and rest." Uther could not say he was exactly pleased to see the Doctor again. He hadn't been able to figure out the man the last time he was here. It did please him to see that he had people with him who would understand what Uther was trying to accomplish in Camelot even if one of them happened to be a very petite woman. He could automatically recognize that she was a warrior by the look in her eyes. It was the same look that many knights had who had seen multiple battles.

"Merlin can show them to their rooms," offered Arthur. "I wish to catch up with the Doctor and will meet up with them once they are settled." Arthur didn't know why the Doctor was back, but he intended to find out. His father wasn't quite himself ever since Morgana's betrayal. Thankfully his uncle was present to help out the Kingdom, and he had Merlin defending the Kingdom from any magical threats, but it would be nice if the Doctor and his warrior companions were able to help out as well. Arthur wondered if they were who they said they were. He knew that the Doctor was an alien from the future, but the other two were completely unknown to him and could be from anywhere. They certainly seemed different from Rose at first glance.

Merlin led the three to their rooms, but he stayed silent until they had reached the safety of a room. He didn't dare speak about their previous encounter where anyone could be listening in. "So will you be requiring two or three rooms?" Merlin asked when they had reached the guest chambers.

"Two should be fine," replied Buffy.

Merlin showed them inside their respective rooms. "Arthur should be ready to see you as soon as this meeting is over. It was nearing an end when you three arrived. I was getting bored so I wasn't really paying attention," said Merlin with a slightly sheepish grin. "Come by Arthur's rooms in a half hour and then we can all talk."

The Doctor nodded and smiled at the Warlock. He stayed in the same room with Spike and Buffy until they were ready to go meet up with the Prince and Warlock. The half hour passed by slowly and everyone was getting restless. Once enough time had passed the Doctor led the way to the Prince's chambers since he remembered the way from the last time he had visited. He knocked on the door and it was Merlin who answered and held the door open for them and expected them to just walk right in. Unfortunately this would be a problem for Spike who would need a direct invitation to enter the Prince's chambers.

"Wouldn't it be polite to invite us in first?" Spike questioned the manservant.

"Okay," said Merlin. "Come in."

"I would rather the Prince be the one to invite us in," said Spike. He knew he sounded rude, but Merlin did not live in this room and his invitation would not get Spike through the threshold.

"What is the delay?" Arthur called out. "Come on in."

That was all Spike needed to be able to enter the room. Spike hated that he still needed an invitation despite the fact that he had a soul now. A soul should get him some special privileges that other vampires didn't have. He shrugged his shoulder at the thought and entered the room behind the Doctor and Buffy.

"It is wonderful to see you again, Doctor," said Arthur who had strolled forward to shake the Doctor's hands.

"Lovely to see the two of you again," said the Doctor. "Everything alright?"

"My father is not well and Morgana has betrayed us," said Arthur. "There continues to be difficulties in Camelot, but at the moment everything is under control. What brings you here?"

"I thought my two friends would want to meet you and Merlin," said the Doctor. "They are both from the future and just a couple years behind where I picked Rose up from. So they both know the legends so there don't need to be any secrets between us."

Merlin wasn't sure how he felt about even more people showing up who knew about him, but Rose had been alright and he seemed to be well regarded in the future. He didn't think these people would go to Uther and tell him about his magic, but they still were slightly scary looking. Rose had been sweet and innocent looking unlike these two. Both of them seemed to be a little off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with the two of them.

"So what type of warriors are the two of you?" Arthur questioned the newcomers. "I am curious as to what kind of warriors exist in the future."

"I'm the Slayer," said Buffy. When she saw the puzzled look that Arthur and Merlin were giving her she continued on. "There is one girl who gets chosen to fight vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. When one Slayer dies, another is called. Slayers are given super strength, stamina, speed, and healing.

"How is this accomplished?" Arthur asked while still stunned to learn that a young woman would be called to fight. "Is it magic?" Arthur still said the word magic with some disgust in his voice. He accepted Merlin and his magic and kept anyone from finding out about his manservant, but that still did not mean that he liked magic. There was still too many who abused the power they had. Morgana was a clear example in his mind. Her betrayal had led Arthur to question magic all over again and had led to a minor argument between himself and Merlin.

"Long ago there was one girl who was infused with powers using magic and when she died her powers were passed on," said Buffy. "I actually met the original Slayer in a dream which was kind of weird. I have friends who use magic, but me and magic are non-mixy things. I just stick to good old fashioned fighting and leave the magic to the witches. I would actually love to try my hand at sword fighting against you if you are up to it while I am here."

"We'll see," said Arthur. "Tell me about yourself, William."

The Doctor flashed Spike a warning look that pretty much told Spike not to reveal himself as a vampire. A Slayer may have gone over alright, but the Doctor doubted that these two could handle meeting a vampire. Maybe down the line they would accept Spike after they got to know him, but now was not the time to reveal himself as a dark creature.

Unfortunately for Spike, Merlin seemed to pick up on the fact that he wasn't human. It was just something about Spike that called out to Merlin and told him that they were not dealing with a human being. Merlin spoke before Spike ever had a chance to answer the Prince. "What are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked Merlin.

"You aren't human so what are you?" Merlin honestly didn't know how he knew this, but he did.

"What are you going on about, Merlin?" Arthur questioned his friend and manservant. "Are you thinking he is an alien like the Doctor?"

"He feels different than the Doctor," said Merlin. "I feel like I am talking to a corpse who has been reanimated using dark magic." Merlin had been spacing out while staring at Spike, but he suddenly snapped out of it with a shake of his head.

Arthur trusted Merlin more than anyone else, so when he heard what his friend thought William was, he pulled out his sword and pointed it at William. "Is this true?"

"I don't know about the dark magic part," replied Spike with a shrug. "I guess I have no choice and have to tell you." Spike shot a look at the Doctor. He didn't think anyone here would be able to figure out what he was. He was hoping for at least a little while for people to treat him as a person and not the monster he was. "I'm a vampire."

"Isn't that something that Buffy fights against?" Merlin asked the vampire.

"What is a vampire?" Arthur asked after Merlin had finished.

"Let me handle this," Buffy said to spike while putting her hand lightly on his arm. "Vampires were once human beings. When someone is bitten by a vampire and then forced to drink vampire blood, they die and rise again as a vampire. A vampire is a soulless monster who goes around without a conscious, drinking blood and killing people. They are very strong and they are immortal, but they are not invincible. They can't go out in daylight, can't stand the sight of holy objects, and can be killed with a wooden stake to the heart or cutting off their heads. Sunlight will also dust them. A vampire turns into dust when they are killed."

"So why have you not killed this foul creature beside you?" Arthur asked the Slayer.

"He is my boyfriend," said Buffy, confusing both the Prince and the Warlock.

"So this is why he asked to be invited into the room," said Merlin who had realized why the vampire had needed a specific invitation from Arthur. "How could you bring someone like this into Camelot?" Merlin asked the Doctor who had been forgotten for a moment. "I thought you were on our side."

"Spike is different from other vampires," said the Doctor.

"I use to be a big bad, but then the military messed with my brain so that I couldn't hurt people anyone. I started helping out the Slayer and her friends because even though I couldn't hurt people, I could still hurt other vampires and demons. I may like violence a little too much. Eventually I fell in love with Buffy, but she couldn't stand me. I went and faced the demon trials to get my soul back."

"So are you still unable to hurt people?" Arthur asked still not believing the Doctor would bring a vampire to his room.

"I can hurt people again, but I choose not to," said Spike.

"You don't look like a creature of dark magic except for the fact that you are very pale," said Merlin. "You also don't look like you are much older than us. We know the Doctor is much older, but he spoke of changing his form. Do you do something like this?"

"I will always look the same as the day I died," said Spike. "I am not as old as the Doctor, but he only has me beat by a few hundred years if he is telling the truth about his age."

"Why do you still look human if you are supposed to be monstrous?" Arthur asked the vampire.

"This is what I looked like back when I was human," answered Spike. "I can keep my human visage, but this is not what I always look like. Vampires have a different face that they use when attacking. Our human faces are more to draw prey to us." Spike than shifted into his game face much to the surprise of Arthur and Merlin. He suddenly had yellow eyes, ridges running along his forehead, and long gruesome looking fangs. A moment later he shook his head and looked human once more. "So are we good?"

Merlin and Arthur were still in a state of shock by William's reveal. It was Merlin who found his voice first. "I guess if the Doctor trusts you than so can we, William."

"Thanks, mate," said Spike. "Oh and I prefer Spike if you don't mind. No one has called me William in hundreds of years."

"Are you insane?" Arthur yelled at his friend. "You want to trust a corpse?"

"A corpse with a soul that the Doctor trusts," replied Merlin.

"Anyways," said the Doctor, trying to stop this escalating into a fight. "We didn't come here to talk about ourselves. We want to know how the two of you have been. I told you I was going to pop in for another visit. I just didn't plan on arriving while Uther was still King."

"There are talks of pushing my coronation forward. There are many who believe that my father is no longer fit to rule Camelot," said Arthur. "Morgana is attacking every couple of months and each time seems to make my father worse. He has his good days like today when there hasn't been an attack for awhile, but most of the time he is almost catatonic."

"I'm so sorry," said the Doctor. "I do think the people are right and that it is time for you to become King."

"Even once I am King I cannot make the changes I would like," said Arthur. "My father and the council would never agree to me legalizing magic and making Merlin Court Sorcerer."

"All of that will happen when the time is right," said the Doctor. "It seems like you have had a busy day. We should let you get some rest and we can talk some more in the morning."

"Are the curtains heavy enough to keep out any sunlight?" Spike asked Merlin before they exited the room. "I don't want to end up as a pile of dust in the morning."

"I think it should be fine, but it you want you can go to the dungeons or crypts before the sun rises if you would like," replied Merlin who was trying to think quickly of a solution. He didn't know if offering up the crypts would offend the vampire.

"The crypt would be fine," replied Spike after a moment. "A crypt in a castle is bound to be more posh than the one I had back in Sunnydale."

Spike stayed with Buffy most of the night in their chambers until the sun was about to rise. He had to sneak down to the crypts and avoid numerous guards along the way. Truthfully, Spike did not find it hard to get past the guards. Most of them were asleep or chatting amongst themselves.

The Doctor had decided to catch up with Merlin while everyone else went off to bed. He felt like the young man needed more people he could talk to and be himself around. Merlin now had Arthur on his side, but the Doctor still didn't know exactly how open Merlin was about himself around the Prince. They were back in Merlin's room chatting. They had to be quiet since Gaius was asleep in the main living space.

The Doctor couldn't contain his curiosity any longer, but didn't want to bring the subject up right away. "So I met someone who looked just like you in the future," began the Doctor. "I met him on this planet called Midnight. Despite the similarity in appearances, he also reminded me a lot of you. I wanted to come back and visit."

Merlin was fascinated to hear about someone so like himself in the future, but he knew the Doctor was just trying to make small talk. Something was seriously wrong and the Doctor had a much darker look in his eyes than the last time he had visited Camelot with Rose. "Where is Rose?"

"Gone," replied the Doctor.

"Gone where?" Merlin asked, refusing to back down and accept a one word answer.

The Doctor sighed and it took him a moment to answer. Finally he did respond after looking into Merlin's eyes. Merlin also knew all about losing people and his eyes reflected that loss. "She got pulled into a parallel world."

"What?" Merlin asked, not having a clue what a parallel world was.

"Think of there being another Camelot that is almost exactly the same, but the choices you made were different. The choices we make can create a parallel world where one small change can change the course of our lives. Rose is stuck in a parallel world, but I think she is happy. She has her mum and dad. She has a copy of me that can grow old with her. I could never do that for her and he can. Since the last time we met so much has happened. I had to erase my best friend's memories otherwise she would have died, I have destroyed the lives of those I cared about. I had truths revealed about myself that I never wanted to admit to. I was just going to travel alone for awhile, but then I made mistakes." The Doctor sighed and remained quiet for a few moments.

"What happened? Merlin asked gently. He wanted the Doctor to continue, but only if he was ready.

"I started acting like a winner instead of a victim," explained the Doctor. "I thought that since I was the only Time Lord left, I was the winner and could do whatever I wanted. Someone committed suicide because I thought I could change a fixed point in time. I spoke of saving little people and no one major or important before. I think I have lived too long, but that will be ending soon. I haven't told Spike or Buffy, but there is a prophesy saying that my song will end when he knocks four times."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," said Merlin quietly. He couldn't imagine the burden that must be on the Doctor's shoulders. He could see that the Doctor tried to hide his suffering behind a smile. The Doctor his who he really was behind cheerfulness while Merlin hid what he was behind idiocy. "Why are Buffy and Spike with you?"

"They are people that I can't possibly screw up," said the Doctor. "They have both been through so much already. I was told that I never carry a weapon, but I turn my friends in weapons. Buffy and Spike were already warriors when I met them. They have both been through so much. I guess I just needed to travel with some people who are almost as messed up as I am before my death. I am a selfish old man."

"You help others and then continue on your way," said Merlin. "If it weren't for you, I don't know if I ever would have gotten up the courage to tell Arthur the truth about myself. He still gives me weird looks every time I use magic around him, but he has kept my secret and I think he is getting more comfortable around me. I owe all of that to you, Doctor."

"That's good," said the Doctor. "I wanted to hear about you and Arthur. I just got carried away talking about myself. I don't think the others would actually understand."

"I think I understand you, Doctor," replied Merlin.

"I should let you get to sleep, but I have one question," began the Doctor who continued on once he saw a nod from Merlin. "Do you think you're immortal?"

"I doubt it," said Merlin. "I may be powerful, but I am still just human."

"You have the name of Emrys," said the Doctor.

"That is what the druids call me, but I have never understood why," responded Merlin who thought he might finally be getting more information about himself.

"Emrys means immortal," explained the Doctor. "Jethro could have been you in the future. I have been thinking about the two of you and wondering if you are one in the same. Of course if you were Jethro you wouldn't have been able to tell me because I am assuming by then you would know how to preserve a timeline and keep to your story to not make other suspicious."

"I don't know if I am immortal or not, but if I am Jethro than I will let you know if we ever meet for a second time," promised Merlin. He didn't want to think about a time when he could be older than the Doctor. The thought was terrifying to him. Everyone he knew and loved would have been dead for thousands of years and that expanse of time was overwhelming to the young Warlock.

"Don't think too much about time and just live each day," said the Doctor who knew all too well what a long life could do to a person. He still didn't know exactly what Merlin was, but he was a good man who would go on to do extraordinary things in his life. "Enough talk for now. Go get some sleep. I'll be in my chambers." With that the Doctor patted Merlin on the shoulder and then quietly exited the Physician's chambers.

The next day was rather uneventful. Uther was not as well as he was the previous evening. Arthur had to attend to his duties as Prince and Merlin had work to do as well. Spike was down in the crypts and the Doctor was in the library reading to pass some time until someone had some free time. Buffy had asked Arthur if she could train with the Knights for the day and he had reluctantly agreed. Everyone couldn't believe they were about to watch a very petite woman fight Arthur, but they were surprised when the woman easily beat their Prince.

"Nice one, Princess," said Gwaine mockingly to Arthur.

"Shut up, Gwaine," responded Arthur angrily.

"Sorry about that, Sire," said Buffy with a mock bow and a smile on her face. "I thought I was holding back enough to make this a more even fight."

By this point the Prince was livid and the knights were trying to contain their laughter so that not to upset their Prince too much. Merlin wasn't even trying to contain his laughter at seeing his friend get beaten by a girl. Of course what knights didn't know what that this woman had super powers especially for combat. She was used to fighting demons and vampires, so a human Prince was probably not too difficult for her. Merlin was just glad that someone like that was on their side.

The day had gone smoothly, but by the time the sun had set, a few people were feeling quite uneasy. Buffy, Spike, and Merlin were the first to sense that there was something not quite right heading their way. They found out all too soon as Morgana approached Camelot with an undead army. Buffy and Spike were now staring at more vampires than they had ever faced at a time. Morgana was right in front with an evil smirk plastered to her face.

The warning bells began to sound the presence of a threat to Camelot. This was only Morgana's latest scheme. When the citizens of Camelot heard the bell, they knew that they needed to seek out safety immediately and wait out whatever attack Morgana had planned. This attack looked like it would be different since Morgana had an army of vampires who would be interested in feeding and not just claiming Camelot for the one that was currently leading them.

Arthur, Merlin, The Doctor, Buffy, and Spike currently had their work cut out for them. They had only minutes before the army would be upon them. Morgana met them in the courtyard, having left her army behind her at the gates of Camelot for the time being. "Hello, brother," said Morgana with a sneer.

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><p>AN: I decided to break the Camelot chapter up into two chapters. Here is the end of the first part and I will have the second part up soon. Hope you all enjoyed this update and as always I appreciate reviews. Until next time.


	8. Medieval Excursion Part 2

**A/N: Here is part two. Enjoy!**

**Just a quick question for anyone who reads this. Has anyone else had trouble reading the new chapters of the stories they follow? My email is overflowing with chapter updates, but when I click on them I am led to a message saying that the chapter does not exist. The chapter also doesn't appear when I look it up. I was unsure about posting this chapter today in case there was some problem with the site and new chapters are not being added but still sending out the alert. Anyways, here is the final part of the Camelot chapters.**

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><p>Ch.8 Medieval Excursion Part 2<p>

"Hello, brother," said Morgana with a sneer.

"Morgana," Arthur simply said. He tried not to let on how scared he was of his half sister and her army of the undead.

"Are these all the people you could gather to fight me and my army?" Morgana asked with a trademark smirk. "I see you have your ridiculous manservant with you, that insane Doctor, and two others. I hardly think you will be a match for us. Tell me Arthur, have you ever heard of vampires? I came across them not too long ago. They are immortal bloodsuckers who will reduce Camelot to nothing. I once hoped to rule this kingdom, but seeing that the people will never be loyal to me, I have decided to destroy all of Camelot instead."

"You will never succeed, Morgana," said Arthur confidently. By this point the knights of Camelot had also seen what was happening and proceeded to prepare themselves and join their Prince. Arthur saw them approach and was glad to see that so many were loyal to him and to Camelot.

"Not even your knights are a match for my army," laughed Morgana.

"We'll see about that, Morgana," stated Arthur. "This is not the first time we have faced an immortal army."

"These creatures will not go down easily like the others," said Morgana, casting a fond glance behind her at her army of vampires.

"We will meet your army outside the walls of Camelot," said Arthur. "I will not let this fight between us get my people killed."

"I will give you a half hour to get yourselves ready," said Morgana. "Never say that I haven't done anything for you."

"How generous of you," Arthur said sarcastically. He stayed rooted to the spot until Morgana had left to join her army before turning back to face his friends and Knights. He trusted his Knights with his life and with the Kingdom. He felt like it was time that his trusted followers knew the truth about his trusted manservant and new friends. That was only if they all felt comfortable revealing themselves to the Knights of Camelot.

"We can beat this army," said Arthur facing his Knights. "We just all need to trust each other. We have people who I am positive can help us take down Morgana's army. I would like to ask them to reveal themselves and their skills to the rest of the group if they are comfortable with that." Arthur cast a glance at Merlin who looked panicked for a moment before nodding.

Merlin knew there was no way he was going to be able to hide his secret in this battle. They had never faced such a threat before. The last immortal army had been defeated by emptying the cup of life of blood. This would not be as simple and would be witnessed by all the Knights of Camelot. Arthur seemed to want him to reveal himself to the rest of the Knights. He was pretty sure that Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan would support him. Gwaine was someone he wanted to trust with his secret. Sometimes he felt like Gwaine already knew and was waiting for Merlin to trust him with his secret. Merlin had no idea how the rest of the Knights would react to finding out that Arthur's manservant was a powerful sorcerer…warlock. Merlin had to trust Arthur's decision and nodded to his friend to show that he would do as Arthur wished, no matter how much the thought terrified him. Thankfully he was not the one who had to go first as the Doctor had already stepped forward.

"I suppose I should let all of you know who I am," said the Doctor with a shrug as he stepped forward. "I'm the Doctor. I am a time traveler from another world. I would like to help, but I'm afraid I can't be of much use in this battle. I am a pacifist and I never carry weapons, but this is a cause which I believe to be right. This battle will change Camelot forever."

Most of the Knights glanced at each other before looking back at the Doctor. Most of them didn't quite understand what he meant by being from another world. It was Gwaine who posed the question. "What do you mean by the statement that you are from another world?"

"I am from a different planet," began the Doctor. "At night when you look up into the sky, you see stars and planets. I come from out there. I have seen the beginning and the end of this planet and have been to worlds you can't even begin to imagine. I have lived for hundreds of years and always try to do what I think is right."

"Ah, well I guess that answers the question," said Gwaine. "Glad you're on our side." Gwaine's easy acceptance and Arthur's apparent acceptance made it easier for some Knights, but others were still mistrustful of the Doctor.

"I guess I should go next," said Buffy.

"What is a woman who doesn't even look like she can hold a sword doing here?" One Knight questioned before Buffy could explain who she was. Obviously this was a Knight who had not been at training earlier in the day to see Buffy beat their Prince.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look," said Buffy. "I am the Slayer. I am the one girl chosen in my generation to fight vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. I have been infused with strength, stamina, speed, and accelerated healing. I fight these types of creatures every day of my life. The Doctor picked me up from the future and brought me back here. Why do you think I was able to beat your Prince so easily during training today?"

Arthur gave a nervous chuckle at the reminder of how easily the Slayer had beaten him earlier in the day. He then looked to Spike to go next. He didn't really know these people so them revealing their secrets didn't really phase him at all. He was mainly worried about his best friend and how everyone would react to finding out they had a sorcerer among their ranks.

Spike casually stepped forward and tossed away the cigarette he had been smoking. "I'm Spike and I probably understand this enemy better than anyone else here except for Buffy."

"How do you understand them so well?" Elyan asked from the middle of the crowd.

"I am the same as them," said Spike as he shifted into his game face for a moment before shifting back to his human face. He heard multiple gasps from the crowd as he had let his demonic face come to the surface. "I know it will sound crazy that I fight against my own kind, but it is true."

"How can we possibly trust a creature like this?" Another random Knight yelled from the crowd.

"A vampire was once a person just like any of you," began Spike. "When a person gets turned into a vampire they lose their soul. I fought to regain my soul so that I could be someone who deserved to be with a woman like Buffy. I have a conscience now which makes me different from the rest of those vampires. Now if you want to shut up and let me finish, I will tell you how to defeat vampires. We may be immortal, but we are not indestructible. There are three ways that you can kill vampires. Chop of their heads, set them on fire, or drive a wooden stake through the heart. All three methods will reduce a vampire to dust."

"Thank you, Spike," said Arthur before turning to Merlin.

Merlin took a step forward and stared at all of the Knights. Some were friends and some were acquaintances. He spent a moment just staring at everyone surrounding him. He was afraid he was going to start hyperventilating. There was no way he was going to be able to go back into hiding and being the servant of Arthur after today. Merlin cast one fearful glance to Arthur before making up his mind that this needed to be done. He never got the chance because a few Knights started laughing.

"How can Merlin possibly be of any use?" A Knight asked while laughing at the clumsy manservant. " He is useless with a sword. It is a miracle he has survived as long as he had. Is he going to distract the vampires by falling on them?"

"Let Merlin speak," commanded Arthur which shut up the laughing Knights.

"I have been hiding from all of you for years now," began Merlin who could not bring himself to look at any one person. "I told Arthur not too long ago a secret about myself that I had been hiding from him for years. He trusts me and I hope the rest of you can do the same once I am finished telling you my secret." Merlin remained silent for a moment and looked around at everyone for a moment. He could see a look of understanding wash over Gwaine's features. Everyone else seemed to look confused. Merlin took a deep breath before continuing on. "I was born with magic. I have been using my magic in Camelot ever since I first arrived here. I…"

Merlin was immediately cut off by the sound of yelling and Knights struggling to get towards him. Gwaine jumped in front of the group with his sword drawn and his back to Merlin. "I had my suspicions about Merlin and now I know that I was right, but that doesn't change anything. Merlin has been here for years at Arthur's side. Obviously he doesn't want him dead and Arthur still trusts him. The rest of us should trust in Merlin and in Arthur's judgment. So can we let Merlin finish?"

"Thank you, Gwaine," said Merlin. "That means a lot to me. I use my magic only for Arthur and Camelot. I am said to be the most powerful magic user that has ever lived, but I would never use my gifts against Camelot. There is a prophesy that says I am destined to be at Arthur's side. I am destined to help him unite the lands of Albion. I do this because of that prophesy and because he is my closest friend. I could never hurt him or Camelot. So please trust me and let me help all of you defeat Morgana's army."

"Do you have any plans on how to defeat them?" Arthur asked while stepping up to his friend and resting his hand on his shoulder.

"I could enchant wooden stakes to fly into their hearts, I could send fire out to burn all of them, I could summon the Great Dragon to burn the army," said Merlin listing off everything he could think of that could stop the army of vampires.

"Do you even need our help, mate," Gwaine questioned with a laugh. He still had his back to Merlin and was ready to defend his friend, but it seemed that his friend could take care of himself.

"I think I can handle the majority of the army," said Merlin. "I can take care of any who are in front of me, but I would need help with any who managed to slip by. We don't want them getting into the city. I would also prefer it if Morgana didn't find out about me. I am able to help Arthur because most underestimate me which makes my job easier. If Morgana escapes this fight, than we lose a future advantage if she knows of my abilities."

"You really aren't as dumb as you look," said Arthur with an incredulous look on his face. "I still sometimes forget what you are capable of."

"Thanks, Sire," said Merlin with a smile.

"Alright," began Arthur. "We have ten minutes before we need to meet Morgana's army. I want Merlin to be out front with myself, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Elyan. Buffy and Spike will also join us. Morgana doesn't know anything about Merlin and we want to keep it that way. I want the rest of you to keep behind the walls and guard the city. Kill any vampires who manage to get past us. Doctor, is there anything you can do?"

"Of course there is something I can do even if I don't want to pick up a weapon and slay vampires," said the Doctor. "First off, I can put a perception filter around Merlin to make it so that no one really notices him. I can also put a force field around Camelot to keep the vampires out. I am not sure how low it would stand up against Morgana's magic, but it should help for awhile."

"Great," said Arthur. "Get on that right now and then stay with the Knights behind the wall. Merlin feel free to call that bloody dragon on yours anytime. Is Aithusa strong enough to fight?"

"She is still way too young," said Merlin. "Even if she were strong enough, I would not risk her life in this battle."

"Very well," said Arthur. "Everyone get into position. We can win this fight. Go ahead, Merlin."

"Draca, eom, ala, sece findam metan, teosu hus anbid!" Merlin had just finished calling out to Kilgharrah and left everyone slightly stunned. Merlin had sounded fierce as he had called out in the language of the dragons.

The Doctor returned shortly and placed a necklace around Merlin's neck. He had placed a TARDIS key around Merlin's neck that had been modified similarly to the perception filter he had once given to Martha and Jack but with a few differences since obviously there was no cell phone network to tap into . "Keep this on and you won't be invisible, but you will go unnoticed."

"Thank you," said Merlin sincerely. He was standing before Morgana's army with Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan, Buffy, and Spike. The rest of the Knights were behind the wall with the Doctor who had just left to set up the force field. Merlin looked up when he heard a roaring noise filling the sky. Kilgharrah had answered the call fire was already flowing from his mouth as he swooped over the assembled army. Merlin began summoning pieces of wood and letting them fly directly into the hearts of the vampires who had not already been reduced to dust by the dragon's fire. He then send a flare of fire at a group of vampires who were fast approaching.

The other's managed to fight off any vampires who made it past Merlin and the dragon's attacks. Buffy and Spike who had vast experience at fighting the undead were making short work of any vampires who came their way. Arthur and the rest of the Knights out front with him found they were having more trouble than they had anticipated in fighting this new foe, but they were holding their own. So far none had been able to get past them and it seemed like the Doctor's force field was holding.

Morgana grew angry at how the battle was going. She thought that her army of the undead would be able to easily overcome the Knights of Camelot, but she had not anticipated the skills of her enemy. From afar she saw that the woman she had seen earlier was a skilled fighter and seemed to be just as strong, if not stronger than her vampires. She also noticed that the man with this new woman was a vampire himself. She didn't know why a vampire would fight other vampires to protect a bunch of humans. Morgana also noticed that any vampires who made it past the group were unable to enter Camelot. What really surprised the witch was that a dragon had appeared and that pieces of wood and fire were flying out from a central point among the group, but she just couldn't tell where they were coming from. Her first assumption was that her nemesis, Emrys was helping Camelot and that Arthur had allowed a magic user to aid him.

Before the night was over, Morgana's army of vampires had either been reduced to dust or had fled the battle in order to protect their undead lives. She knew it would be difficult to keep the loyalty of creatures that cared for nothing but their own undead lives and feasting on blood. Once Morgana knew that she was alone, she fled as well to go back to planning another way to destroy the place she had once considered her home.

Arthur was surprised to notice that not a single life had been lost from their side. All the casualties had been vampires working for Morgana. He could now see how magic could be used for good, but the fact that Merlin almost single handedly defeated a whole army of the undead frightened him. He hoped that Merlin would never stray from his beliefs and unleash his extensive powers upon Camelot. Morgana was a fearsome enemy, but Arthur feared that if ever Merlin turned from the path of good, than everything would be lost. Arthur drove away these thoughts with a shake of his head. He trusted Merlin and knew that his friend would never end up like Morgana.

"That went better than expected," said Arthur giving Merlin a friendly punch in the arm.

"That does hurt," Merlin whined as he rubbed his arm where Arthur had hit him.

"You just defeated an undead army and now you are complaining about a friendly punch," Arthur managed to gasp out between laughs. Merlin really was full of surprises.

The Doctor did not look so happy about all the loss of life that had occurred, but he knew that a vampire without a soul could not be reasoned with. Spike was the only exception that he had ever heard of.

The Knights who had not had to fight since the force field had held up had ended up being quite bored during the battle. Some of them had even left to report to the King that the battle was going well. Most of the Knights who were not close to Merlin wondered if they should tell the King about the sorcerer, Slayer, man from another world, and Vampire. These people were helping them out with this battle, but no one really trusted them. The majority of these Knights were mostly unnerved by the fact that Arthur trusted a sorcerer and that was leading them to believe that their Prince was enchanted. They figured that Merlin was using Arthur and wanted the city for himself and just didn't want anyone else laying a claim on the kingdom. That is how a few of the Knights suddenly found themselves facing King Uther as the battle was being won.

It was Sir Kay who stepped forward to address Uther. He had lost an argument with the others and was the one who was forced to do the talking. "Sire, I am happy to inform you that the battle is going well, but it saddens all of us to learn how the battle is being won."

"Go on," said Uther.

"A sorcerer, vampire, a man from another world, and something called a slayer are fighting on our side," explained Kay.

"Who allowed such abominations to fight for Camelot," Uther demanded before continuing on. "Why would they even fight for a city that would happily execute all of them? Obviously they have their own agenda."

"We were thinking the same, my Lord," said Sir Kay. "We figured that they fought on our side so that they could claim Camelot for themselves and not have Morgana as competition."

"Who are these people?" Uther questioned the Knight.

"The Doctor is the man who comes from the stars," began Sir Kay who was trying to remember the specific details about each person. "The two warriors who came with him are also part of this. Buffy is something called a Slayer. It seems like she was magically imbued with her skills and the man with her called Spike is a vampire. Apparently these three come from the future."

"I shall take great pleasure in killing these three," said Uther with a hint of madness in his eyes and voice. "Who is the disgusting sorcerer who dares to perform magic in my city?"

"Arthur's manservant, Merlin," said Sir Kay. "Apparently he was born with magic and has been using it in Camelot since he first arrived."

"I never did care for that boy," said Uther. "What did my son do to this piece of filth?"

"Apparently Prince Arthur has known for awhile now about his manservant," said Kay. He did not wish to get the Prince in trouble, but he did fear that he was being enchanted. "He trusts Merlin and asked the rest of us to do the same. He asked us to trust all of these people. We fear that your son has been enchanted by his servant."

"Obviously he has been enchanted," said Uther. "No way would my son ever turn away from my teachings. He knows the evils of magic. Gather up any Knights you feel have not been enchanted and get them to secure the traitors and my son. I wish to see them as soon as the battle is over."

Back outside of walls of the city the group of heroes lingered after the battle to chat. Merlin told his friends about different time he had saved Camelot and Arthur and apologized for lying to them. During this time, Kay and his companions were going around to the different Knights and seeing who they could get to help. By the time the heroes had made it back to the outside of the Citadel, there were quite a few Knights waiting for them.

It was Sir Kay who stepped forward to address the group. "The King is pleased that the battle has ended and wishes to speak with all of you."

Of course Merlin was worried that their secrets had been told. He was not the only one who was worried. However, this confrontation was inevitable, so the group made their way to the throne room where Uther currently was and did not even need to be escorted. This did not prevent several Knights from accompanying them and standing guard to make sure no harm came to their King.

"Arthur, I hear that the battle has gone well, but I am concerned with the methods that were used," began Uther. He knew that his son was enchanted and that this matter needed to be handled delicately. "Step away from this group and come forward."

"Yes, father," said Arthur who glanced at his friends before approaching his father.

"I fear that you have been enchanted for some time now," said Uther. "Do not worry. Very soon your mind will be free of this poison. Once the sorcerer has been executed, and the other three as well, then you shall be yourself once more."

"I have not been enchanted," stated Arthur.

"Of course you are enchanted," said Uther. "If you were not, than you would have come to be straight away when you learned that your manservant was a filthy sorcerer. I regret now ever appointing him to you."

"Merlin is my most trusted friend," said Arthur.

"He is a servant and a sorcerer, there is no way you could ever consider him a friend unless you had been enchanted," said Uther as if the words 'servant' and 'sorcerer' were foul words for him to say.

"You do not even know how many times Merlin has saved my life, your life, and Camelot," Arthur said while trying to remain calm. "We could not hope for an ally more loyal than Merlin. The others are new friends, but they put their lives on the line today to protect Camelot."

"Sir Leon, tell me your thoughts on the matter," said Uther turning to the only Knight of nobility who had been allowed to be on the front lines with Arthur and was one of the most trusted Knights.

"I have only just learned Merlin's secret, but he was amazing on the battlefield," said Sir Leon. "I first wondered about the interactions between Arthur and his servant long ago. They seemed to be closer than just a Prince and servant. They are friends and Merlin has always been with Arthur going out on dangerous missions. Merlin told us everything after the battle was finished and I believe him. I believe he is loyal to Arthur and to Camelot."

"I am sorry to hear that you have been enchanted as well," said Uther. He didn't bother to ask Gwaine, Elyan, or Percival. He began to question Arthur's decisions when he appointed commoners as Knights. "You shall be free of this enchantment as well once the sorcerer is dead."

"You can't do that!" Arthur exclaimed, finally losing his composure.

"You may have been filling in for me when I was not well, but I am still King and you will not question my decisions," said Uther sternly.

"You are still not well," said Arthur. "You have your good days, but most of the time I can hardly even get through to you. I understand you have suffered because of Morgana's betrayal, but you have not seen the changes made to the Kingdom that have made this a better place."

"You will be silent," Uther said in a deadly voice.

"Can I say something?" The Doctor asked while stepping forward to stand next to Arthur.

"I will not hear from the condemned," said Uther.

"You will hear what I have to say, Uther," said the Doctor not even bothering with titles. "As you have learned, I am not from this planet, but that doesn't make me evil. I come from the future and use an advanced form of science which you would probably see as sorcery. It is true that I am not in the least human, but that does not mean that I should be executed. You are making snap decisions about a person based on how they were born and not the choices they have made. I brought Spike and Buffy here from the future so that they could meet Arthur and Merlin. In their time, these two are famous legends," The Doctor looked fondly at Arthur and then Merlin like he was still in amazement that he had a chance to meet these two famous people.

"Arthur is considered to be the greatest King who has ever lived and Merlin the greatest sorcerer who has ever lived," began the Doctor again after his small pause. "Together they bring peace to the land and unite all of the Kingdoms. Arthur will be the King of all of Albion and bring about a golden age with Merlin's help. Merlin would never do anything to harm Arthur or Camelot. There are prophesies about the two of them and their destiny. They really are two sides of the same coin."

The Doctor paused for a breath before continuing on with his tale. He did need to get all of this information out before someone could stop him. "Buffy and Spike are heroes in their own time. Buffy never asked to be the Slayer, but she has saved the entire world multiple times. She fights against the forces of evil every day of her life and has done so since she was just a young girl who was given too much responsibility at an early age. Spike was turned into a vampire and used to be evil, but he fought to get his soul back to be a better man. He was even fighting the forces of evil before he had his soul back which is amazing and beautiful. As for myself, in my hundreds of years of life I have always done what I have believed to be right. I hate weapons and always try to find a peaceful solution. I have saved the whole of reality, too many planets and races to count, and I have saved this planet countless times. If you tried to execute us, then you would be executing the good guys who have forsaken a normal life to help others around them. As a Time Lord I can't exactly die so it would be kind of pointless to try and execute me," said the Doctor finally finishing his long speech. He had added the last little bit about why they should not try to execute him as an afterthought. He thought it would be quite annoying if they kept on trying to execute him and he had to keep regenerating. He didn't really feel like wasting his regenerations like that.

Everyone in the room was speechless for a few moments after the Doctor had finished his rant. Even Uther could not seem to find any words for a moment or two which was really saying something. Finally it was Uther who did manage to find words again. "Obviously you are lying to save yourselves."

"I would let you read my mind, but you would probably just think that my head is filled with lies as well," said the Doctor with a snarky tone. "How can I convince you?"

"You can't," said Uther.

"I wish to retract my statement about Arthur being enchanted," said Sir Kay. " I am sorry that I betrayed Arthur and told secrets that were not mine to tell. I see now that these people can be trusted. They did just get done saving Camelot." Sir Kay did honestly feel bad about what he had done. He was of noble blood and had grown up hearing of the horrors of sorcery. He had now had time to think while this unorthodox trial was happening and deeply regretted his decisions concerning Merlin who had always been loyal to Arthur.

Uther could see the change in the Knight and it did not look like enchantment. It looked like Sir Kay had genuinely had a change of heart after hearing from Arthur and the Doctor. Uther wondered for a moment if his hatred of sorcery had made him blind. Would Morgana have ever betrayed him if he had not hated what she was? Would she still be his loving ward? Had he forced her to turn on her home? Uther didn't want to believe that he was to blame so he decided to do something he had never done before. He was going to let the Knights vote on the fate of these four.

"Will all those who wish for Merlin, the Doctor, Spike, and Buffy to go free, please raise your hands," commanded Uther. He was surprised to see that a majority of the Knights had put up their hands. "Now all those who are in favor of these four being executed, raise your hands." Uther did not even see a single hand go up. Despite the fact that not everyone had voted to let the four go free, no one wanted to see them executed.

"This is brilliant," said the Doctor with a grin.

"I asked for a vote, I never said I would allow you all to go free," said Uther.

"Oh come on," said the Doctor still smiling. "Are you really going to go against the will of the people? This is what makes Arthur a great King. He welcomes the council of those around him no matter their status. He tries to be fair to all those involved and the people love and respect him for that. He has a pure heart and I hope that you realize that one does not need to rule through fear or hatred. I can leave with Spike and Buffy and never return, but my concern is for Merlin. Arthur and Merlin need each other. Don't be the one to get in the way of their destiny."

"Sorcery is still outlawed, but I am willing to pardon Merlin on one condition," said Uther.

"What's that, Sire?" Merlin asked, for the first time letting hope fill him up.

"You are to be monitored closely and only use your magic to benefit this Kingdom," said Uther.

"Done," answered Merlin quickly. "I have been doing that since I first arrived here.

"Be silent and let me finish," commanded Uther. "If you put one toe out of line than your life is forfeit. No one outside of this room is to know that you are a sorcerer."

"I understand and I accept these terms," said Merlin bowing down to the King.

"I will be watching you closely and if I see you perform magic for any other reason than protecting Camelot than you will be killed on the spot," said Uther adding in that last part to make sure that no magic was used except in defense of the Kingdom.

"You can't mean that!" Arthur shouted only to be stopped by Merlin placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I will not use my magic for any other purpose," said Merlin.

"Everyone is dismissed," said Uther abruptly.

It was a day later that goodbyes were said and the Doctor promised Merlin and Arthur that he would see them again. Spike and Buffy said their goodbyes as well. This trip had not been what they were expecting, but it had certainly been fun and interesting, except for the almost getting executed part. Spike and Buffy were already back in the TARDIS and the Doctor was about to follow them in when he was stopped by Merlin.

"Thank you for everything you have done for me, Doctor," said Merlin sincerely. He had already said goodbye to the strange alien, but he felt like he needed to thank him again. "Oh and I still have that perception filter that you gave me," said Merlin holding the TARDIS key out to the Doctor.

"You are very welcome," responded the Doctor. "Keep the key. Hold onto it or put it someplace safe. Never let anyone else have it and if you really are Jethro, then if I see him again I will expect to see that key."

"That is thousands of years away!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "So take good care of it."

The Doctor entered the TARDIS a couple minutes later and saw Buffy and Spike lounging against the console. He gave then a smile before he started setting the coordinates for Sunnydale. He knew they would at least want to go back and make sure everything was alright at home before going on any other adventures.

"I do have one question," said Buffy after a moment of contemplation.

"What's that?" The Doctor asked while still setting the controls.

"What did happen to Uther after we left?" Buffy asked.

"We saw Uther on a good day, but that mood did not last," said the Doctor. He remained in an almost catatonic state until Arthur's birthday that year. Very soon after the events we saw happen, Uther would be stabbed while trying to save his son. Merlin tried to heal Uther, but did not realize that Morgana had made it so that any healing magic would be reversed and magnified. Arthur was upset, but he did not blame Merlin. Arthur became King within a couple days and the land prospered and magic was legalized after that. Merlin no longer had to hide and was appointed Court Sorcerer."

"If you knew all of this, why did you make that big speech?" Spike asked.

"I knew what would happen, but actions are still needed to make the future happen," explained the Doctor.

"This time travel stuff is kind of confusing," said Buffy . "The trip has made me realize the importance of fighting for what is right. I knew this before, but lately I have been neglecting my duties. I don't want my actions to affect the future in some bad way. I need to do what I can, to continue doing what is right and continue on with what I was chosen for."

"So do you want to stay in Sunnydale when we get back?" The Doctor asked, selfishly hoping that the answer would be no.

"I want to travel more and do good elsewhere, but I can't be a full time TARDIS resident," said Buffy. "I have my own responsibilities, but that doesn't mean you can just dematerialize and forget to come back for us."

"Agreed," said the Doctor as he materialized in Buffy's backyard. They gave a quick check around the house and discovered they had returned the night they had left and that there were no emergencies.

"See you around, Doctor," said Buffy.

"See you later, mate," said Spike.

"I'll be seeing you soon," said the Doctor. He then got back into his TARDIS and dematerialized. He wasn't sure where to go at this point. He didn't want to travel alone. Finally the Doctor decided to just get some sleep and then head back to Sunnydale in the near future. Just because his new companions would be waiting for a little while before travelling again with the Doctor did not mean that the Doctor had to wait.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I had quite a lot of fun writing it. I appreciate anyone who reads my chapters, follows the stories, favorites it, or reviews. I know how the story will ultimately end, but the journey to the ending is in flux and not a fixed point. If there are any episodes of Buffy or Doctor Who that someone would like to see included than just let me know in a review and I will take it into consideration. I don't think the story will be crossing over again with any other fandoms. I really wanted to include Merlin, but that was most likely just a onetime occurrence. Farewell for now.**


	9. Potential Slayers or potential annoyance

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is kind of a filler chapter. It would be extremely long if I included everything I wanted to. So this chapter is going to be relatively short compared to my other chapters. This chapter is kind of setting the stage for the next part of the story. I promise the next chapter will have more action. **

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><p><strong>Ch.9<strong>

**Potential Slayers or potential annoyances**

It may have only been moments for the Doctor since he had dropped off Spike and Buffy, but for them it had been weeks. Potential Slayers were slowly making their way to the Hellmouth to be protected and trained. Spike had undergone horrific torture by the first evil to release a Turok han, which was a stronger form of vampire. He had been rescued by Buffy and the vampire had been destroyed, but everyone was still on edge. The Doctor had no idea any of this had been happening otherwise he would not have left. He knew that the Slayer and her gang could handle almost anything that was thrown their way, but the Doctor always found himself being very protective of his friends.

When the Doctor arrived at the Summer's residence he found himself in a yard that was full of teenage girls all practicing martial arts. To a group of girls who had been taught all their lives that anything unusual was bad, a large blue box materializing out of nowhere definitely put them on guard. The girls were training all on their own at the moment while Buffy and the rest of the gang were nowhere to be found.

The gang were either busy doing research, or going on missions to locate the Bringers. Caleb had been found, but that mission had ended with young girls dying and Xander losing an eye. Occasionally the potentials would get left alone even it wasn't what was most desirable. Faith was supposed to be teaching them, but she had left for a little while to get away from all of the teenagers.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS onto the Summer's residence lawn and was greeted by the potential Slayers who had just stopped their training and were now all in fighting stances and pointing various weapons in the Doctor's direction. The Doctor tried not to let his cheery demeanor slip even though the sight of so many young girls prepared for battle depressed him immensely.

"Oh, hello!" The Doctor said cheerfully while pulling the TARDIS door shut behind him.

"Who or what are you?" Kennedy asked while bravely stepping forward. She considered herself to be the leader, especially when the others were away.

"I'm the Doctor. Is Buffy home?" The Doctor asked with a smile still on his face.

"Why do you want to know if the Slayer is home?" Rhona asked, joining Kennedy in front of the other potentials.

"Is it a crime to pop in and see a friend?" The Doctor asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Should have known that Buffy would be friends with another nonhuman," scoffed Kennedy. "I wonder if she slept with him as well." There were a few nervous laughs from the rest of the potentials, but most were still trying to figure out what the Doctor was. "Now are you going to tell us what the hell you are or do we need to beat it out of you?"

"No need to get nasty," said the Doctor huffily. "If you must know, I am an alien. I met the Scooby gang awhile ago and they have gone on some adventures with me. I actually just dropped Buffy and Spike off a few moments ago from my perspective. We had a lovely time seeing Merlin and Arthur in Camelot."

"You are so full of crap," sneered Kennedy.

"He could be telling the truth," said Vi hesitantly from the back. "I mean he doesn't seem all demony and what reason does he have to lie when anyone could confirm or deny his story as soon as they get home?"

"Thank you…,"said the Doctor trailing off at the end.

"Vi," said Vi quickly.

"Thank you, Vi," said the Doctor sincerely. "Who are all of you? I was just here not too long ago and Buffy didn't mention anything about the lot of you."

"We're potential Slayers," answered Vi who had by now taken a liking to the Doctor. "We are the ones who could be chosen after Buffy or Faith die. We are here for protection and training."

"What about your Watchers?" The Doctor asked, already sensing that something was terribly wrong.

"Most of them have been killed," said Kennedy jumping back into the conversation. She didn't trust the Doctor or like him at all, but she would not be excluded.

"By what?" The Doctor asked quickly.

"Bringers," said Kennedy.

"Explain what has been happening since you lot first arrived here," commanded the Doctor.

"Well…,"began Vi only to be cut off by Kennedy.

"We shouldn't tell him anything more until the others get home," commanded Kennedy. "We will see what Faith has to say on the matter."

"Excuse me, but I don't even know Faith," said the Doctor. "Buffy and Spike can vouch for me. The others can as well, but Buffy and Spike know me a bit more than the others."

"No one trusts those two anymore," said Kennedy. "Buffy doesn't care about us and got some of us killed. Spike is just a vampire that sides with Buffy against the rest of us. If this wasn't her house than I would totally say we should kick her out. She may be a Slayer, but so is Faith."

"Buffy has saved this town and the world more times than anyone can count," said the Doctor passionately.

"We have had enough of speeches," said Kennedy. "You can wait for the others to get back, but you are getting tied up until they return."

"If you think that is necessary, than fine," said the Doctor. The Doctor definitely wasn't caring too much for these potential Slayers. Most of them would not speak at all and leave it to just a couple to say something. The only one who seemed alright at this point was Vi. He didn't even catch the names of the rest of them.

The Doctor entered the house ahead of the group and took a seat on the couch. He had at least showed them that he could enter without an invitation. "So what do you say to a nice cuppa while we wait," the Doctor offered. "I wonder if Buffy has gotten any decent tea."

"Don't get cozy," said Kennedy. "You are going to the basement and you are going to be chained up."

"Lovely," the Doctor sarcastically said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kennedy," said Kennedy. "I have the most experience out of all of them and have been here longer than the rest of them. I figure that makes me the person in charge while the others are away."

"There really is no need for any of this," said the Doctor as he was led down the steps. He was shoved onto the cot in the basement by Kennedy and his wrists were forced into the manacles that were attached to the wall.

"Who wants to guard him until the others get back?" Kennedy asked the group. She didn't want to leave their prisoner alone, but she knew they needed to get back to training if they wanted any hope of defeating the Bringers and Turok han.

"I'll stay," volunteered Vi. "I have been here just as long as you so I think I can sit out for this one training session and keep an eye on the Doctor."

"Fine," said Kennedy. "The rest of you get back outside with me and we will continue where we left off." Kennedy then left Vi and the Doctor alone in the basement while she took the rest of the potentials back out to the backyard to continue their training.

Once everyone else was gone the tension in the air was slightly lessened. The Doctor was thankful that Vi was the one who was staying with him since despite the fact that she seemed nervous and a little frightened, she was the one who had stood up for the Doctor.

"So do you really know Buffy?" Vi asked, hoping she was not making a mistake by staying in the basement with the Doctor.

"I haven't known her for very long, but we are friends," replied the Doctor. "Everything is so different since I dropped Buffy and Spike back off here."

"How did you meet Buffy?" Vi really wanted to know how the Slayer seemed to be friends with aliens, and demons, and vampires. Vi had always been taught that these creatures were to be killed, but Buffy had her thinking that maybe everything that wasn't human wasn't necessarily evil.

"My spaceship materialized in a graveyard and Buffy and Spike happened to be fighting a vampire at the time. Spike could tell right away that I wasn't human so of course there was some interrogation. Eventually they began to trust me. I took some of them to another planet for some fun and I helped them out with a problem here. The others don't know me quite as well as Buffy and Spike since they were the only ones I took on the trip to the past," the Doctor did not want to go into exact details, but he felt this was enough of an explanation for now. He was hoping to be released from the manacles soon since being shackled on a cot was not exactly comfortable.

"How could Spike tell that you weren't human?" Vi was curious since the Doctor looked perfectly human. She and the rest of the potentials only knew since the average human does not materialize in someone's backyard.

"I'm sure I don't smell human and vampires seem to have a great sense of smell," explained the Doctor. "Plus there is the fact that he could hear that I have more than one heart."

"Oh," said Vi. A double heart beat would definitely be a giveaway. "I'm surprised that Buffy and the others didn't mention you."

"It looks like things around here have been a little hectic," said the Doctor. "They also wanted a bit of a break between visits. I'm not sure how much time they needed so maybe they didn't think I would be showing up this soon."

"Why did you come back so soon then?" Vi asked and she noticed a hint of loneliness surrounding the alien.

"All of my friends are gone and I can't stand being alone," the Doctor truthfully answered. "I am supposed to die soon and wanted to make sure that I got to spend some more time with the friends I have left before I go."

"So you are just some lonely guy who wanted to hang out with his friends before dying?"Vi just wanted to make sure she understood this puzzling extraterrestrial.

"Yeah," replied the Doctor.

"We locked you up," observed Vi.

"Yeah," said the Doctor once more.

"I believe you are telling the truth, but if I release you than Kennedy will be upset and think that you have done some weird alien thing to my mind," said Vi forlornly. "You can't do that, right?"

"I could, but I am not going to," said the Doctor with a cheeky smile. "What is going on here?" The Doctor was suddenly serious again. He had an idea that something big was coming and possible had to do with the future he had witnessed as a result of Dawn and the choice that Buffy made.

"I guess I can tell you, but please don't tell Kennedy that I told you anything," pleaded Vi.

"My lips are sealed," responded the Doctor.

"There wasn't much going on at first," started Vi who then paused to figure out the best way to explain the current situation. "Potentials and Watchers were being killed, but we didn't know there was anything bigger happening. It was possible that someone just had a grudge against us. We then learned that the first evil wanted to wipe out the Slayer line. Potentials are first on the list and the two current Slayers are being saved for last it seems. The first evil has all these minions such as the Bringers, uber vamps, and Caleb who is this seriously creepy and misogynistic priest. It doesn't help that he is super strong and almost seems to be invincible."

"This does sound like a serious situation and I will help in any way that I can," the Doctor said sincerely. "I'm not sure if there is much I can do. This whole situation could have been avoided, but now everything is set in motion. I am a part of this story now and I can't go back and change anything now."

The Doctor had been busy talking and hadn't really noticed that Vi was now standing over him. He was about to question what she was doing when his hands were finally free. He had been released from the manacles that held him prisoner. The Doctor slowly massaged his wrists and shot a questioning look at the potential Slayer. "Thank you," said the Doctor."

"It would be wrong to leave you chained up and I will deal with Kennedy," said Vi.

"How are you going to deal with me?" Kennedy asked as she came down the steps with the intent to check on their visitor.

"I only meant that I would talk to you," said Vi nervously.

"Why is that freak no longer restrained?" Kennedy asked, casting a dirty look at both Vi and the Doctor.

"We have been talking and I believe his story," said Vi with slightly more confidence in her voice.

"Don't tell me you are turning out to be like that pathetic excuse of a Slayer," sneered Kennedy. "Next you will be telling me that you are sleeping with this alien scum or something else as equally disgusting.''

"Oi, no need to get nasty," said the Doctor. "I love humans, I honestly do from the bottom of my hearts, but this bigoted attitude is something I can't stand no matter the planet or race."

"You don't understand since you aren't human," said Kennedy.

"I fight for what is right and I know the choices aren't always easy," said the Doctor. "All I need is for you to believe that I am friends with Buffy and I would die for this planet and its people."

"Why would an alien care what happens to the earth?" Kennedy asked with disbelief in her voice.

"Compassion," said the Doctor seriously.

"Whatever," said Kennedy. "You probably have some ulterior motive and helping the earth benefits you in some way at the moment, but your attitude can easily change. So don't expect me to ever trust you or even like you."

"I'm sorry that you lack faith or trust in anything that doesn't fit inside your tiny outlook of the world," said the Doctor. "I am not going to run away or hurt any of you, but I am having a pleasant conversation with Vi. So you can just go back outside and leave us be until the others get home."

"Fine," said Kennedy angrily. "Vi, if he kills you, it is your own fault."Kennedy then stormed up the stairs leaving the potential Slayer and the alien alone once more.

The Doctor visibly relaxed once Kennedy had left. He stood up and stretched which had the unfortunate effect of making Vi jump slightly. He hadn't meant to startle her and he did appreciate the effort that she was making.

"So what do we do now?" Vi asked the Doctor. The Doctor didn't have a chance to respond because at that moment he heard the front door open and close and he heard multiple familiar voices.

"Doctor!" Buffy called out from near the front door. She had seen the TARDIS on her way into the house.

"Downstairs!" The Doctor yelled out to his friend.

"Do you want me to go?" Vi asked hesitantly.

"You're fine," said the Doctor.

Buffy was at the top of the steps and she was confused as to why the Doctor was in the basement instead of being up in the living room drinking a cup of tea or something. She figured that maybe he wanted to get away from so many teenagers. They could be scarier than any demon or alien.

As Buffy was going down the steps to see her friend, that is when Kennedy appeared at the top of the stairs. Only the Doctor and Vi saw the look that Kennedy was giving all of them. She obviously was not happy about the fact Buffy did know the Doctor if the scowl on her face was anything to go by. Her face looked even angrier when she saw Buffy give the Doctor a hug.

"So have you slept with this guy as well?" Kennedy asked from the top of the steps.

Buffy broke her embrace with the Doctor to give Kennedy an annoyed look. Buffy really did not like this girl and how she was trying to take over. If it wasn't so important to keep all the potential Slayers together, Buffy would have thrown Kennedy right from the start.

"Kennedy, I would like you to meet my friend, the Doctor," said Buffy placing an emphasis on the word friend. Buffy then turned back to the Doctor. "What brings you here? I feel like I just saw you, but it has been so busy around here."

"I actually just dropped you off and travelled a few weeks into the future," said the Doctor conversationally.

"How do you even measure your age when you just skip around like this?" Buffy asked the Doctor.

"You get used to it after a few hundred years," laughed the Doctor.

"Come upstairs," said Buffy. "Andrew can make you some tea and I can catch you up on what is happening."

"A cuppa sounds lovely," said the Doctor. "Vi was kind enough to inform me of what has been happening around here lately. A lot has changed in such a short amount of time."

"You're telling me," said Buffy as they reached the top of the stairs. Kennedy had reluctantly moved out of the way and Vi was following right behind them. "If you are smart, than you won't tell Andrew you are an alien."

"Who is an alien?" Andrew asked as he came out of the kitchen and into the living room where Buffy, the Doctor, Vi, and Kennedy currently were located.

"Great," said Buffy who then gave the Doctor a pitying look. "This is the Doctor."

"The Doctor!" Andrew exclaimed. "I have read all about you on the internet." Andrew then threw himself at the Doctor and hugged him tightly.

"Um…hello," said the Doctor hesitantly. He tried to pry the young man off of him, but Andrew would not budge. The Doctor was starting to understand why Buffy had wanted to keep his origins a secret.

"Andrew is technically our prisoner," said Buffy. "I guess you can say he was evil, but now he seems to want to work with us. His big thing was summoning demons."

"I am reformed now and fight on the side of light," said Andrew who finally let go of the Doctor.

"Always nice to have more people turning away from evil," said the Doctor with a smile. This was apparently the wrong thing to say since Andrew latched on to the Doctor once more. He was clearly pleased at the fact that someone like the Doctor easily accepted him. "I need to talk to Buffy alone now." The Doctor led Buffy away from everyone.

"I know this is the beginning of what you showed me," said Buffy before the Doctor could even start." They were now in the privacy of the kitchen. Buffy started to make the tea herself instead of asking Andrew.

"I fear that this is the beginning of what will come," agreed the Doctor sadly. "Where is Spike?"

"Spike is off on a mission right now, but he should be back in a couple days," said Buffy.

"What kind of mission is he on?" The Doctor asked the currently sad looking Slayer.

"I honestly don't know," said Buffy. "The others sent him away when I was not around. I don't even know if they want him to return. The only reason I think he might come back is because they didn't send Andrew with him. Everyone here wants Spike gone."

"I will help you in any way that I can," promised the Doctor.

"Thanks," said Buffy, handing the Doctor a cup of tea.

The Doctor nodded his thanks as he took a sip of the tea. It wasn't very good, but he appreciated the gesture. He needed to think about the situation and how best to help out the Slayer. He really wanted to have a nice sit down with the first evil and find out what this being wanted. "I think our first plan should be to just talk to the first evil," said the Doctor who was still deep in thought.

"I guess you are the best one to handle a being that isn't corporeal," said Buffy. "It is not like I can do any hitting or staking."

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "I am going to park the TARDIS in the house and extend the force field to cover the perimeter of the house. We can keep everyone inside safe and have a nice chat with the first evil. The force field will not keep out a being that isn't corporeal, but it is not like they can do anything to us. The force field should keep out the Bringers and Caleb. We will only be dealing with the first evil and no one else."

"Can we wait until Spike gets back?" Buffy asked the Doctor. She didn't think he would want to wait, but she wanted Spike there with her.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. The Doctor met various people that were working with Buffy. He met Anya who had been engaged to Xander and had heard of the Doctor. Apparently she was just as old as the Doctor and had to avoid him over the years when she was a vengeance demon. There was also Robin who was the current principle of the school who seemed very distrustful of the Doctor despite Buffy's reassurances. The Doctor finally met Faith who was the other Slayer. She trusted Buffy's judgment, but made some inappropriate remarks towards the Doctor. The Doctor wasn't really introduced to the majority of the potential Slayers. He had the feeling that Buffy didn't really acknowledge them as individuals and more as a group. Only the ones who had been there since the beginning were really able to retain their individuality.

The following evening is when Spike finally returned. Everything was in place and they had only been waiting on Spike's arrival. The TARDIS was in the living room and once Spike was inside, that is when the Doctor extended the force field.

"Nice to see you, Doctor," said Spike, shaking the Doctor's hand after he had greeted his girlfriend. He basically ignored everyone else in the room. "I have big news for the two of you. Buffy, you were right. There is something hidden in the vineyard. I think it is just what we need to help us win."

"That's wonderful," said Buffy embracing her boyfriend.

"What is the plan for right now?" Spike asked both Buffy and the Doctor.

"We are going to contact the first evil and have a chat," said Buffy loud enough so that the whole room could hear.

"Are you crazy?" Kennedy exclaimed. "You want to talk to the first evil?"

"What else can we do?" The Doctor asked the group. "We can't exactly fight the first evil and it wouldn't hurt to learn what we can. The force field from the TARDIS is protecting the house so we will only be dealing with the first evil and no one else."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Spike who then received incredulous looks from the majority of the people in the room. "Some of us could head back to the vineyard while the Doctor and the rest stay here and talk to the first evil. If the first evil is here, than there won't be anyone to tip off Caleb. As long as we are careful it should work."

"That is a really good idea," said Buffy.

"That sounds like a good plan," said the Doctor.

"No," said Dawn stepping forward.

"I agree with Dawn," said Kennedy.

Slowly everyone in the group started to protest against the plan. No one wanted to talk to the first evil or go back to the vineyard after the disaster from their last visit. Accusations were thrown around and everyone was yelling over each other to say how incompetent they thought Buffy had become.

"We have another Slayer so we really don't need Buffy anymore," said Kennedy who was currently looking at Faith. "I think she along with her freaks should get out of here."

"You can't kick me out of my own home," Buffy said calmly.

"She can't, but I can," said Dawn. "I love you, but I think it would be best for the three of you to leave. We will handle this situation ourselves."

"If that is what you want," said Buffy who left the house and stood on the porch waiting for the others.

"You stupid gits," said Spike. "You ungrateful, bloody fools. She has saved your lives so many times and this is how you repay her."

"We don't need to hear anything more from you, Spike," said Giles. "We tolerated you because of Buffy, but now you have outstayed your welcome. Don't come back here because we are going to rescind your invitation. Doctor, you can leave with them. We will leave this matter up to humans and we do not require any alien help."

The Doctor knew that he was not wanted and he could be of more help to Buffy. He was sure that Buffy would want to still go ahead with their plan. There was just a slight change to the plan now. He was heading towards the TARDIS when he saw Spike shift out of his human face and go after Faith. Spike had already punched Faith in the face a few times and received a few hits himself before the Doctor could get anywhere near them. "Spike, let's just go," said the Doctor.

Spike stormed out the door and joined Buffy on the porch. The Doctor got inside of the TARDIS and had it materialize on the porch. He stuck his head out the door and beckoned Buffy and Spike inside. "Come on," said the Doctor. "We can handle the talking part ourselves. The others will come around eventually."

The TARDIS dematerialized and reappeared in the basement of the high school. This was where the Hellmouth was located and this was the best spot to get the attention of the first evil anyways. "Time to get to work," said the Doctor and was glad to see the nods of approval and determined looks from Buffy and Spike.

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><p><strong>AN: So here is the end of this chapter. I will try to have the next chapter up soon. I guess this chapter wasn't quite as short as I had originally intended, but it was mainly setting up the next chapter. Oh and I think it is pretty obvious that I do not like Kennedy at all. Thank you to those who are reading this story, reviewing, following… I really do appreciate it. Until next time. **


	10. The First

A/N: I meant to have this posted awhile ago. I had ten pages written right after I posted the last chapter. I then got involved with moving into a new apartment and all of the moving made me forget about updating. I apologize for not updating this sooner.

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><p>Ch. 10<p>

The First

As soon as Buffy, Spike, and the Doctor had left, some of people living in the Summer's household started having regrets. All of the Scoobies were currently regretting their decision to kick out their friend and the one person who always seemed to win no matter the odds. Even though Faith had never really gotten along with Buffy, she still missed her fellow Slayer and felt bad for how everything went down. She would try her best to lead the potentials to victory and continue on her own personal road to redemption. Vi was the only other person in the household who regretted what had happened. She hadn't wanted Buffy and the others kicked out, but she felt like she should stay with the rest of the potentials and didn't want to get kicked out as well. Vi kept her mouth shut and went along with the group.

After the arguing had finished for the night, everyone went their own separate ways to try and get in some relaxation before everything went down. They could all feel that their conflict with the First would soon be coming to end one way or another. Faith spent the night with Robin, Xander spent the night with Anya, and the others decided to either sleep or hang out with each other. While this was happening, the Doctor, Buffy, and Spike were doing what they could to save the world again.

"Is the first evil ever going to show up?" The Doctor asked as he sat with his back against the TARDIS. He wasn't the most patient person and thought they would be getting started right away.

"Whatever happened to taking it easy and staying out of other people's business?" An old man had suddenly appeared. Buffy and Spike didn't recognize the man, but it seemed like the Doctor knew exactly who this was.

"I have changed a lot since I was you," said the Doctor. "It has been hundreds of years since I was you, but it was a bunch of humans who changed your mind about helping others."

"Is this you, Doctor?" Buffy asked looking between the Doctor that she knew and who she suspected to be another incarnation of the Time Lord.

"This was my first incarnation," said the Doctor. "He was grumpy and tried to act old like you do when you are young. I don't know why the first evil is playing this game, but it is not going to work on me."

"It has been so long since I have gotten to play with a Time Lord," said the first evil now in the form of Buffy. "Does Buffy know of all the times you have screwed up? Does she know that you are the one who released me?"

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked the first. It was still unnerving to see the first pose as her.

"So he hasn't told you," said the first with a smirk. "I wonder if he even knows what he has done. I used to have a body, but I could release my essence and possess people and influence others. My body was destroyed since I met with the Doctor and his little blond companion. He does seem to have a thing for blondes. Much to my surprise, my body had been holding me back. Now that I am free I can go wherever I wish, whenever I wish. My powers have never been greater than they are now. Do you remember now, Doctor?"

The Doctor merely nodded. He thought he had been rid of the beast. He remembered the time when he thought that he would be stuck on that impossible planet with Rose forever. The Doctor would not want to spend eternity in one place, but he could have been content there with Rose by his side. The Doctor had to remember that Rose wasn't dead and that this creature couldn't turn into her. There were plenty of people the first could turn into.

"I know what you're thinking," said the first. "You are thinking of everyone you have failed over the years. The first than began flicking through different images of everyone that the Doctor had failed. Some were random people that the Doctor could not save, but others were ones the Doctor had cared about. He saw Adric who he could not save from the Cybermen, Astrid who could not be saved from falling, Jabe who had sacrificed herself to save everyone, the Face of Boe who had given his life to save New New York. Jack Harkness even appeared despite the fact that he wasn't dead, but had still died countless times blaming the Doctor for not helping him. The list went on until the Doctor was lost in his thoughts and feeling like he had never helped even one person. He either got people killed or screwed up beyond belief.

"Don't listen to it, Doctor," said Spike who knew only too well how the first could mess with your head.

"The first is correct," said the Doctor dejectedly.

"Tell them why you keep coming back to them," commanded the first back in the guise of Buffy.

"You two are already so messed up," began the Doctor. "I felt like there was no possible way I could screw you two up anymore than you already are."

"Okay," said Spike. He looked at Buffy who merely shrugged.

"There are worse reasons," said Buffy. "We know we are messed up. I have just never had people want to hang out with me for that reason. I have failed plenty of people. I wonder why my friends would be like if they had never met me. I was told about at alternate reality where I had never come to Sunnydale and everything here was worse. So no matter how bad things are here, I know they could be worse. Doctor, think of all the good you have done. Things may not always go the way you want them to, but everything could be worse. There probably wouldn't even be an earth right now without you."

"You're right," said the Doctor who slowly got to hit feet and did not take his eyes off the first. "You may be the ultimate evil, but all you can do is talk. I am all for talking as it is preferable to violence, but I was just reminded of my purpose. I am going to die soon and I don't want to go, but I know I will go out doing what is right."

"So why did you want to meet me here?" The first asked the Time Lord. "I know you didn't plan on being reminded of all of your failures such as killing your own people. So why are you here?"

"Everyone gets one chance," said the Doctor in a deadly tone. "I came here to tell you this is your one chance. Leave now, leave these people alone, take your Bringers, take Caleb and never return. This is your one warning and your one chance to leave. Next time we meet, things will not end well for you."

"You made sure that I was incorporeal," said the first. "There is nothing that you can do to me."

"Don't be so sure about that," said the Doctor who finally turned away. "We're leaving now." The Doctor beckoned to Buffy and Spike who followed him inside the TARDIS.

"You okay?" Buffy asked with concern present in her voice.

"Thanks for back there," said the Doctor. "I didn't think that the first evil would be able to get to me the way it did."

"So you faced it before?" Spike asked with extreme curiosity.

"I met what many cultures considered the devil," explained the Doctor. "I thought I had defeated the devil, but I guess you can never truly defeat the idea of evil. That is all the first evil is now. The first is nothing but the idea of evil. As long as there is evil, than the first will exist. That doesn't mean we can't deal the first a serious blow. The first said it was stronger than ever. That must mean that there is more evil in the world now, but it we can bring the world back into balance, than that will weaken the first and keep it at bay for awhile."

"So do we go to the vineyard next and get whatever it hidden there?" Buffy asked.

"Of course," said the Doctor who was back to his usual cheerful self.

"As much as I hate to say this, we are going to need the others working with us if we want any chance of weakening the first," said Spike with disgust in his voice.

"That's the spirit!" Exclaimed the Doctor while patting Spike on the shoulder.

The mission to get whatever was hidden in the vineyard turned out to be easier than any of them had expected. They had set out early after getting some sleep and materialized the TARDIS inside the vineyard. The Doctor was able to use his scanners to pinpoint a strange energy signal coming from inside the vineyard. Caleb was waiting for them when they stepped out of the TARDIS.

"My master said that you would probably try to come here, bitch," sneered Caleb.

"Is that any way to speak to her?" The Doctor asked the misogynistic priest in front of him.

"She is just another little girl that will die by my hand," said Caleb confidently.

"We'll see about that," said Buffy who then spun around and delivered a powerful kick to Caleb's head. Before she could move away, Caleb grabbed her foot and flipped her over backwards. Caleb delivered a forceful punch to her face before Buffy was able to fully get back on her feet.

Spike vamped out and snarled at the man who dared to treat his girlfriend this way. "Go get what we came here for," said Spike who was glaring daggers at the priest. "I'll hold him off."

Buffy and the Doctor ran past and jumped down into a cellar that was just below the room they were currently in. Both of them tried to ignore the sounds of pain from up above. Buffy hoped that Spike would be alright. Buffy glanced around the room and noticed a magnificent weapon set in stone. She could feel right away that this weapon belonged to her. It looked like an axe that had a stake at the end. Before Buffy could get to the weapon, Caleb joined them in the cellar.

"Your undead lover will not be joining you and you will not be able to pull that weapon from the stone," said Caleb confidently.

"Is Spike still alive or undead?" The Doctor asked as a distraction while Buffy moved towards the scythe.

"He is not a pile of dust, but he is in no condition to join you," said Caleb.

This was all Buffy needed to hear before she turned her attention to her weapon. "I feel like Arthur right now," said Buffy who was of course referring to Arthur being the one to pull Excalibur from solid stone. It was not like she had witnessed this event, but she had learned about Excalibur in school and had no doubt that it was true. Buffy gripped the handle of the scythe with one hand and was able to easily pull it from the stone much to the amazement and disbelief of Caleb.

"You think you can stop me now that you have that?" Caleb asked, but with not as much confidence as he had before.

"Let them go," said the first in the guise of Buffy who had suddenly appeared at his side. "They are going to have a lot of work ahead of them dealing with so many dead little girls."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked with concern in her voice.

"I don't think Faith and the others enjoyed our little surprise for them," replied the first.

The first surprisingly then told the three of them where they could find Faith and the potentials. They were located in a sewer that had been set up as a trap. Buffy, Spike, and the Doctor raced back to the TARDIS and headed to the sewers where the others supposedly were located.

Buffy had decided on the way there that this was something she needed to handle alone. She left both Spike and the Doctor in the TARDIS and went down into the sewers herself. Buffy was confronted by quite a few Turok-han, but she was able to easily defeat them all with the help of her new weapon. She helped the survivors to the surface and led them back to the TARDIS. She was very thankful at the moment for the use of the space and time ship since it could get the injured back home quicker than dragging everyone back.

After helping out the potentials and Faith, the Doctor went back to his TARDIS to think and to give the others some space. He knew this was something they needed to deal with themselves and he thought it would be best if he stayed out of the way. By the time he decided he should get back to the others, Buffy had already left. The Doctor was surprised to see that Spike had been left behind. The two of them decided that they needed to find Buffy and offer her any help that they could.

Spike, using his enhanced senses was able to locate Buffy in one of the many cemeteries in Sunnydale. By the time they arrived, they saw Buffy holding the scythe which was now covered in blood and embracing another man.

"Who is that?" The Doctor asked an angry looking Spike.

"Angel," growled Spike. "He and Buffy used to date and thought they were soul mates. They broke up because Angel cannot experience one moment of perfect happiness or he loses his soul. Unlike me, Angel had a soul forced on him as a punishment so that he would be forced to feel guilty and relive all his past evil deeds. His soul is never supposed to find peace."

"Buffy loves you," said the Doctor. "It is clear to anyone with eyes just how much she loves you."

"I still hate the bloody poof," said a slightly calmer Spike.

The two of them saw Angel hand Buffy a necklace and then left. Neither one knew what the necklace was and why Angel would suddenly just take off like that. Buffy seemed to know they were there and came over to meet them.

"Caleb is dead," said a smiling Buffy. "I split him in two. I think we can win this now."

"What was Angel doing here?" Spike asked curiously. He was happy about the fact that Caleb was dead, but he couldn't ignore the Angel issue.

"Angel gave us a present to help us win," said Buffy who was fondling the necklace.

"Do I get to put on the fancy necklace since you've got that that fancy axe? Spike asked holding out his hand.

"Angel gave me specific directions about this necklace," Buffy began. "He said that someone who has a soul and is more than human has to wear this. He offered to stay and help, but I sent him away. LA needs him, especially if we fail here. I don't know much about this necklace."

"Obviously I am meant to wear it if Angel was going to," said Spike who was still holding out his hand. "I am more than human and I have a soul."

"I can analyze this necklace back in the TARDIS," said the Doctor. "We can figure out exactly what this thing does."

A half hour later, Buffy, the Doctor, and Spike were back in the TARDIS. Buffy and Spike were sitting near the console while the Doctor was running a scan on the necklace. The look on his face told the two of them that he did not like the results.

"Will this necklace help us?" Buffy asked after seeing the Doctor's concerned look.

"Yes, but it will come with a price. This necklace with destroy every vampire with the power of the sun."

Spike spoke without hesitation and only minimal fear in his voice. "I guess this is a fight I am not going to survive."

"I am so stupid! The Doctor yelled out all of a sudden. "I know what happens here and this can be changed. Something different has happened. I don't think I was here the first time around otherwise the Buffy we saw in the future would have told me. I am definitely more than human, but I am not a vampire. I could survive wearing the necklace whereas Spike would not be able to since he is a vampire. This part of what we have seen can be rewritten. We know that Sunnydale with be destroyed, but we can be prepared. Too much knowledge of your own future isn't good, but I think this is a case where an exception can be made."

"Why didn't you tell this to us before?" Buffy asked, clearly distressed that maybe more people could have been saved.

"I am getting old," said the Doctor. "You didn't mention much, but you told me to tell you about the first, Tara, Anya, Spike, all the young girls that are going to die, and Xander losing an eye. I obviously arrived at the time when I could make changes. I have a feeling that right now is when I am meant to tell you everything. I also believe that I am the one who is meant to wear that necklace. I'm not going to die here because I am sure the prophesy didn't mean here and now. It doesn't feel like the right time."

"Are you ever going to tell us more about this prophesy?" Buffy asked the Doctor. "I am prophesy girl and these things never end well." Buffy knew all too well about prophesies and she had been able to come back for her foretold death back when she was a sophomore in High School.

"My song will end when he knocks four times," said the Doctor. "I don't know if I will outright die or regenerate, but I can feel that my time is coming to an end, in this body at least."The Doctor shook his head to try and rid himself of thoughts of what was to come. He needed to focus on what was happening now. He could worry about his song ending after this was finished.

Buffy began pacing around the console while deep in thought. She looked at the necklace and was thinking about her newest weapon which felt like it belonged to her. Buffy was pretty sure the weapon was meant for the Slayer. Why should it just be her and Faith with all the power? Why couldn't the rest of the potentials share in their power? "We have the necklace and that cool new weapon, but I don't think it is going to be enough. What we need is more Slayers."

"Unless you want the Doctor to go back in time and pick some up, than I think we are stuck with just you and Faith," said Spike.

"What if we could turn the potentials into Slayers? Buffy shot back at her boyfriend. "What do you think, Doctor?"

"It is an interesting idea," replied the Doctor after thinking on it for a few moments. "I'm not sure if it is possible, but I have never let that stop me before. You would need some way to harness the essence of the Slayers and broadcast it out to every girl who holds that Slayer spark within them."

"Would that scythe from the vineyard work?" Buffy asked while already knowing the answer. "It feels like it belongs to me. That leads me to believe that it hold the essence of the Slayer in a physical form."

"Very good," said the Doctor. "The only problem now is how to get the spark within the scythe to ignite the spark within the potential Slayers. It is possible I could rig something up with the TARDIS, but Slayers seem to be more mystical."

"Would magic work?" Spike asked the two of them. He had seen Willow work some pretty impressive mojo in the past. He didn't see why Red couldn't manage this task.

"I am not the one with an understanding of magic," said the Doctor. "I am still uncertain how such a thing can possibly exist and be harnessed and manipulated by humans, but it would seem like Willow could find a way to accomplish this task. Merlin is the only other magic user I have encountered who was more powerful than Willow. It is not like I have met all that many people who can use magic, but both of them are powerful."

"I just worry about her going all veiny and scary again while trying something this big," said a worried Buffy.

"If my understanding of magic is correct, Willow normally channels magic that is within herself or from the Earth itself," said the Doctor who was still working out his thoughts as he was speaking. "In this case, Willow would be channeling the power that already is within the scythe. She would be acting as a conduit between the scythe and the potential Slayers. I think this might just work."

"Let's get back and tell the others," said Buffy with a smile on her face. Caleb was dead, things were looking up for her and her friends, and they finally had a plan to seriously hurt the first."

"One problem with the plan," said Spike bringing down the mood in the TARDIS. When he had Buffy and the Doctor's attention he continued. "Sunnydale is going to be destroyed. I am guessing this necklace is going to cause some major damage. It seems the most likely cause of the destruction."

The Doctor threw himself at Spike and hugged him much to Spike's surprise. "You are brilliant. I feel like you don't get told that often enough. You are observant and think through the possibilities. Even though I knew about the destruction to the town, it didn't occur to me that it could be caused by the necklace. Luckily for us we might be able to change something else this time around. We will be attacking the Hellmouth which is right below the high school. I could set up a force field around the outer perimeter of the school and keep the damage to just the school."

Thirty minutes later the Doctor, Buffy, and Spike had gotten back to the house and had just finished explaining the plan they had gone over in the TARDIS. Some seemed skeptical, some were excited to have a legitimate plan, and some were scared at their role in everything. However, everyone was ecstatic at the news that Caleb had been defeated.

"Willow, how much time would you need to prepare?" Buffy asked her nervous looking friend.

"I can be ready by tomorrow afternoon," responded Willow while trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor asked. Even though the plan sounded simple in theory, if Willow wasn't ready, than they might still win, but there could be a lot more loss of life.

"I can do this," said Willow feeling more confident this time.

The next morning the plan was being finalized before everyone headed out to the school. Unfortunately not everyone could be useful. Spike and Anya were instructed to stay out of this fight since they were told they would not survive it otherwise. With the force field placed around the school that would keep all the damage in as well as anyone within the perimeter. Only the TARDIS would be able to get out when the work was completed.

"We are changing something huge here, and it does feel like a fixed point. We did see the future and we know what is supposed to happen, but I think we can cheat this one time. What is the point in being the last of the Time Lords if you can't bend the rules every now and then? We only know to change things because we saw the result before if we did not. If we did not see what happened, than we wouldn't know to change anything. So we are creating a paradox. I'm hoping that using the TARDIS to create the force field will keep the paradox contained to that area. Just for the sake of the Universe, I am also going to put a perception filter up if we accomplish our task. That way when our past selves come they will see what we saw before. Everything needs to be perceived the same way it was the first time around or time could begin to collapse." The Doctor looked around at everyone giving him blank looks. "I have the difficult work, so all I need is for Buffy to read from the script I have prepared for her and everything will be fine."

It was at that point that Willow came down the steps and announced that she was ready. The Doctor had worked out all computations he would need for the force field and perception filter the night before so he was ready to go as well. Xander remained at the house with Dawn, Anya, and Andrew while the others piled into the TARDIS.

Spike entered the TARDIS as well. He was not going to be kept behind while everyone else was off saving the world. He had gotten his soul back for Buffy, but it was so that he could prove to her that he was more than just a monster. He was a fighter and he would not be left behind. If he died during this fight, than at least he would be dying for a worthy cause and right beside the love of his undead life.

The Doctor understood the look in Spike's eyes and let him in the TARDIS with a nod of understanding. Everyone tried to find something to hold onto while the Doctor flipped various switches. The trip to the Hellmouth was quick, but an extremely bumpy ride. The Doctor let Willow and Giles off in the Principal's office which was located directly above the Hellmouth. They would have to make their way into the Hellmouth themselves to get into the TARDIS. The Doctor wished them luck and took the TARDIS into the mouth of Hell.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors with Buffy and Spike at this side. They looked out across the landscape and saw thousands of Turok han. Their presence did not go unnoticed and the uber vamps were now making their way up the cliffs to get at the blue box that had just materialized.

"Allons-y," said the Doctor putting on the necklace and stepping out of the TARDIS. He had set everything up before exiting the TARDIS. Now everything was down to plain old fashioned luck. A group of potentials formed a circle around the Doctor. He was the one with the necklace that would hopefully save them all. Vi was directly in front of the Doctor and gave him a quick smile before focusing on the vampires heading their way. Faith and Spike were each on a side of the cliff they were on with Buffy in the middle. A line of potential Slayers were arranged behind them. Everyone was in formation and ready to fight.

The battle began and it was brutal. Vampires were coming at them from all directions while the first evil taunted them.

"You know you can't save them," said the first to the Doctor. "You are going to fail and everyone here will die. Even if you do succeed, you will be doing something you despise above all else. You are going to kill thousands if you succeed. Can you live with all those deaths?"

"This has to be done," said the Doctor with determination. "I got rid of my own people to save the Universe. I can destroy these mindless vampires if it will save the Earth."

The first was not expecting this answer. It would have to find someone else to discourage. Buffy was currently injured. If the first couldn't take down the Doctor, than it would make sure the Slayer who started all of this would die. Unfortunately for the first it was at that moment that Willow's spell kicked in and the potential Slayers were now proper Slayers with all the powers that came with the title. Buffy and Faith must have gotten a dose of power since Buffy was now up and fighting again and Faith seemed energized. Vampires were going down left and right, but still some of the new Slayers died. Not everyone had trained for as long as the others and the number of uber vamps were overwhelming.

Within a few minutes a strange glow began to emanate from the amulet the Doctor was wearing. Spike noticed a tingle on his skin that felt the same as indirect sunlight. He took that as his cue to get back inside the TARDIS. A moment later he was joined by Willow and Giles who had made it into the Hellmouth just in time to watch the show from the safety of the TARDIS now that their work was complete. The light of the amulet kept on getting brighter and vampires began exploding into dust all over the place. The walls of the cavern began to shake and rubble began to fall. The Slayers took this as their cue to now get back inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor was the last one inside the TARDIS. He only left the battlefield once he was sure every Turok han had been destroyed. He took off the necklace and it immediately went dark. He tossed it to the side as he ran to the controls. The walls were still crashing down around them. Even though the TARDIS could survive being buried, he would rather not risk it.

Soon they found themselves materializing behind a school bus. The perception filter was in place. The Doctor had to make it a strong one so that his past self would not get suspicious. The Doctor heard the interaction between Buffy who had memorized what she had to say and the past Doctor. Once he was sure that the others were gone he dropped the perception filter and saw that the town was still intact minus one high school and Hellmouth. He supposed he would have to get used to the fact that he was wrong about the Hellmouth. It seemed similar to a time rift and had put out the same type of energy, but this had been much different after seeing the Hellmouth up close.

The Doctor took everyone back home and made ready to say his goodbyes. "You were all brilliant. I have a feeling that I won't be seeing most of you again, but I want you all to go out and continue doing good and protecting this planet. The Doctor hugged the Scooby gang goodbye before turning to Buffy and Spike. "You know you two are welcome to travel with me anytime, but now is not a good time. You have responsibilities to attend to with getting the new Slayers settled, and there is something I can't put off any longer." The Doctor hugged Buffy and Spike before turning around to face the TARDIS which was right in front of him.

The Doctor gave them all one last fond look before getting back into the TARDIS and letting the TARDIS take him where he needed to go. Buffy and Spike who knew the Doctor the best felt strange with him leaving this time around. The TARDIS was gone and now all they could do was get on with their lives and hope that one day they would see the Doctor again.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks everyone for reading. I am going to try my best to not take so long getting the next chapter up. I know this chapter felt like it could be the ending of the story, but there is still more to go. Until next time.


	11. Impossible

Ch.11

Impossible

A/N: I am going to change some dates around to make one thing work in this story. I went searching for dates when certain events happened in both shows. They are close, but not as close as I need to make it work here. So I just wanted to mention that right now. Enjoy the new chapter! I didn't want to give anything away about this chapter in the author's note, but I feel like I should give a spoiler warning. There are spoilers in here through season 7. If you haven't watched season 7 of Doctor Who, than you might want to turn back now. I finished this chapter and lot sooner than I thought I would. Hopefully my next update will be quick.

It had been around half a year since the battle against the first evil. Sunnydale was surprisingly still intact. Thankfully the town hadn't been destroyed despite what they all had expected. The only loss was the high school and the Hellmouth. There were still plenty of demons and vampires to be taken care of in Sunnydale. Either some didn't hear about the lack of a Hellmouth before coming to town, or the demons that were already there didn't feel like moving.

Six months had also passed since anyone from the Scooby gang had seen the Doctor. Most of them didn't give him much thought. The Doctor was an alien that took them on a few adventures and helped them out. Sunnydale had been quiet, so there was no need for the Doctor to come back. Buffy and Spike were the main ones who missed their friend. They had gotten to know the Doctor better than the others.

Buffy found herself becoming increasingly more bored as the days went by and there was still no sign of the Doctor. Despite the fact that there were still some demons in Sunnydale, most nights were relatively quiet in the town. Sunnydale had become the base of operations for all of the new Slayers. Slayers came to Sunnydale for training while the more experienced Slayers were sent out on missions and to protect high risk areas across the globe.

Dawn was currently a Watcher in training along with Andrew. Xander and Anya finally did get married and were off on their honeymoon. Willow and Kennedy broke up and went their separate ways. Willow was back in England training with a coven while Kennedy was currently somewhere in South America. The one constant in Buffy's life right now was Spike. Even though they were very much in love, Buffy was still bored.

It was on that day as Buffy was lying on her couch contemplating what she should do for the day when she thought she heard the strange noise that could only be the TARDIS. After a moment she didn't hear it again, so Buffy figured that it had to have been her imagination. It was only once Spike came out of the basement asking about the TARDIS did Buffy realize she hadn't been losing her mind from boredom after all.

"Well it's about time!" Buffy exclaimed as she went to the door to look for the Doctor and Spike made sure he would be in a shadowy area of the room. He didn't need to turn into a pile of dust on a day when something interesting would finally happen.

The Doctor was slow about exiting the TARDIS this time around. It had been hundreds of years since he had last visited his old friends. He hadn't wanted to look back on anyone once he had regenerated, but he felt like it was time now. He always felt like he would see them all again at some point. After everything that had happened with the Master and Rassilon followed by regenerating and meeting Amelia Pond. Amy… no he didn't need to think about her and Rory right now. They were gone and there was nothing he could do about that. He had Clara with him now who he was still trying to figure out. He was hoping that maybe Spike could tell him something about his new companion. Spike always was rather observant and had the acute senses that came with being a vampire. That was only one of the reasons why the Doctor was hesitating by the TARDIS doors.

"Doctor, are we going to go out or not?" Clara asked impatiently from right behind the Doctor. He never did say where they were going this time. The way he was acting made her think it was somewhere extremely dangerous.

"Yes, sorry," the Doctor answered while distracted by his own thought. He shook his head to clear away the doubt about whether or not it was a good idea to be here. "Welcome to Sunnydale, California. Former home of the Hellmouth, but now just a quiet little town with the occasional demonic activity. "

"Demonic?" Clara questioned the Doctor.

"The town was known for having tons of demons and vampires, but now they are mostly gone," said the Doctor cheerfully. "I guess many of them have spread out and left the town, but at least they are not all congregated in one spot anymore."

"You never said this kind of stuff existed," accused Clara.

"Look at it this way," began the Doctor. "These demons and vampires had to come from somewhere to begin with. Think of them as aliens who have been on this planet so long that they have forgotten their origins. In the case of vampires, think of humans being infected with an alien virus that changes them. These aren't the best descriptions I could give, but it will work for now. Shall we go say hello to some old friends of mine?" The Doctor straightened his bow tie and led the way around the house to the front door.

The Doctor didn't even need to bother to knock since the front door was already open and a confused looking Slayer was currently standing in the doorway blocking the entrance. The Doctor saw Buffy's eyes slide from his to his new companion before coming back to him again.

"Who the hell are you?" Buffy asked while making sure the door was blocked. The Hellmouth was quiet now, but that didn't mean that nasty entities didn't still lurk around the town and come after the Slayer.

"You know who I am," said the Doctor. "I told you I had away to cheat death and this is it." The Doctor gestured to himself and flung his arms out wide. "This is Clara Oswald who has been traveling with me recently."

"Hi," said Buffy dismissively. Her attention was still fully on the supposed Doctor. "I thought the eyes would stay the same. I can't see any sign of who you were before. Even your sense of fashion has gotten worse. A bow tie, seriously?

"Bow ties are cool!" The Doctor exclaimed before giving up. "Can we come in?"

"You know I don't give out invitations to anyone to come inside," said Buffy. The sun was still out, but one could never be too careful.

"Come along, Clara," the Doctor beckoned to his new companion and followed Buffy inside. The Doctor spotted Spike in a corner of the room and gave a wave to his favorite vampire.

"Hello, Doctor," said Spike who continued on when he saw how confused Buffy was when he knew the Doctor right away. "The face may change but he still smells the same. Plus I can hear the double heart beat."

"Doctor, how can he smell you and hear your hearts from way over there?" Clara whispered to the Doctor.

The Doctor did not bother whispering back to his companion. "Spike is a vampire. He is different from other vampires in that he has a soul. He is dating the vampire Slayer Buffy who we met outside. It is a wonderful story. Everyone this is C…"

"Clara," said Spike, cutting off the Doctor.

"Yes, how do know my name?" Clara was sure she had never met his vampire before. How did he know her name?

"How is this possible?" Spike asked and approached her to see her up close. She smelled human, but he was sure this was the same woman whom he had known back before he was turned. She even had the same name. "I haven't seen you since 1878, but here you are and you're human."

"I think you have me mistaken with someone else," said Clara who was backing away from the deranged looking vampire who was visibly smelling her.

"Your name is Clara, so I know I am not mistaken," Spike said as he backed up. The girl was reeking of fear now and he didn't want to cause her any alarm.

"Spike, what is going on?" Buffy asked as she looked between the Doctor, Clara, and Spike.

"I need to have a chat with Spike," said the Doctor suddenly. "Buffy, how about you show Clara around."

"Fine," said Buffy who would definitely want the full story later on. "We'll start with the upstairs. Come on, Clara."

The Doctor sat down on the sofa and Spike joined him on the other side. Both of them waited until the two girls were out of the room before saying anything more. Both of them were confused and didn't know where to start.

"What is she, Doctor?" Spike suddenly asked. "She smells human and I know it has been a very long time since I was human, but I am sure this is the same woman I knew back when I was alive. When I was human there were two women who I fancied. Clara was the first followed by Cecily who I adored right before I was turned. I was shy and more focused on taking care of my mother when I was alive so I never really had any relationships. I have now seen the two women I once had a thing for recently. I discovered not too long ago that Cecily was a vengeance demon and that makes sense. Clara is human so I don't know how I could have known her unless you took her back and met me in the past. Could it be that this is in your future and you take her back and that is why she doesn't know me?"

"Calm down, Spike," said the Doctor. "I will try to explain as best I can, but even I don't know how this is possible. This is the third Clara I have met. I met her once in the far future on Skaro and she died there. I met her again in Victorian London and she died there as well after we met. This is the third Clara I have met. She is not possible, but yet here she is. How did you know Clara?"

"Clara was the governess for a wealthy and influential family," began Spike. "Occasionally they would throw parties that my mother and I would be invited to. My father had been dead for awhile, but he had known Captain Latimer quite well. Captain Latimer would still invite my mother and me to parties that he threw. Clara would always be there looking after the children during these events. I thought she was beautiful and fascinating. I then saw her working as a barmaid and using a different voice and she really impressed me. She was the most interesting woman I had ever met at the time. When my mother became too ill to attend the parties, we stopped attending. I never saw Clara again after that and that is when I tried to move on and I met Cecily. I would talk to Clara when I saw her, but I was never brave enough to try and court her."

"I'm sorry you never got the chance," said the Doctor. "She sounds just like the Clara that I met. She probably died soon after you last saw her."

Spike didn't understand how this was possible and he did feel bad that the woman he once liked had died without him ever knowing. "What do you know about this Clara?'

The Doctor had to think for a few moments before answering. He was not even close to discovering the mystery that was Clara Oswald. "She is the same and different from the other two I met. This Clara also is great with children and her personality is very similar. The main differences come from the time that she lives in. Of course a modern day woman is going to be different than one born in Victorian London. I have taken her on different trips and nothing makes her stand out as something out of the ordinary. A powerful empath could not detect anything abnormal about her. Clara doesn't even know about her other incarnations. She is the biggest mystery."

"What about the other one you met?" Spike asked thinking back on all the Doctor had said. "The Clara upstairs with Buffy is the third one you have met." Spike was wishing now that he had taken more time to get to know the Clara from his past. It is possible that he never would have been turned into a vampire. He had a feeling that she would not have rejected him the same way that Cecily had. Spike knew he had done much evil as a vampire, but he was making up for it now and he had Buffy who he loved more than he had ever loved anyone else, even Drusilla. He did wonder if he could have somehow saved his Clara if he had stuck around.

"The other Clara was the first one I met," began the Doctor. "I never saw what she looked like, but the name was almost the same and she said the same words. She turned out to be a Dalek, but she still saved my life and made all of the Daleks forget me. She was blown up along with the other Daleks in the Asylum. I have seen her die twice and she is impossible." The Doctor sat and gathered his thoughts for a moment. He was so lost in his own head that he didn't even hear Spike trying to get his attention. "Sorry, what?"

"I was asking you why you brought Clara here." Spike said slightly annoyed that the Doctor had not even been paying attention. "You didn't know that I knew her and it has been so long for you since you have visited. Why are you here?"

"No other time really felt right," said the Doctor simply. He continued on once he saw the skeptical look that Spike was giving him. "Alright, after I regenerated there was a lot going on. So much has happened and I am not the same person that I was the last time I was here. I have changed so much and I am getting old. I almost came back when I thought I was about to die. There was going to be no regeneration, only death. I couldn't burden you with that after the last time I left here was to go die. Something else is coming now and everything is linked and I don't know what to do."

"What's coming?" Spike asked his friend.

"Trenzalore and the fall of the eleventh," said the Doctor sadly. "Silence will fall when the question is asked. The first question, the oldest question, hidden in plain sight. It will be asked on the fields of Trenzalore when no living creature can't speak falsely or refuse to answer."

"What is the question?" Spike asked now thoroughly confused.

"Doctor Who?" The Doctor said with a mix of sorrow and joy in his voice. He never got tired of hearing that question asked, but now it was something he had to dread.

"That's it?" Spike asked and grinned when he saw the Doctor nod his head. "Well that is kind of a stupid question. Why would asking who you are be so dangerous?"

"It's complicated," stated the Doctor with his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard Buffy and Clara descending the steps. He put his 'everything is alright' mask back on and got ready to face them. He could let himself be a little more vulnerable around Spike than the others. Spike had lived for hundreds of years and had done unspeakable things he was not proud of. The Doctor could relate and felt like he could talk to this vampire like he couldn't talk to his human friends.

"So that is the upstairs, not that it was really anything that interesting, but I am guessing we have given the guys enough time to talk," said Buffy to Clara as they approached the living room where the Doctor and Spike were sitting on the couch.

"Thanks for showing me around and it was fascinating to learn about vampire slayers and how you and Spike met. It is almost like Romeo and Juliet," said Clara who now had a better understanding of the supernatural. She liked Buffy alright, but the poor girl had been through so much. She was still wary of the vampire, but from what she had been told he seemed like he was a good guy now. Except for being a little weird, Spike was not what she would expect a vampire to be like. She hadn't even seen any fangs.

"Hang on a sec, I just need to tell the Doctor one last thing," said Spike who leaned over to whisper to the Doctor. "I have an idea on how we can figure out who Clara is, but I need you to trust me right now. I also need you to take me back in time to after my human self no longer had contact with Clara, but before you met her. Can you do that?"

"I can, but why do I need to trust you right now? What are you going to do?" The Doctor was slightly worried about why Spike was suddenly asking him to trust him. The Doctor did trust this unusual vampire, but what was he going to do now?

"I am about to do something you are not going to like at all, but I need you to trust me," Spike whispered to the Doctor before pulling away.

"Buffy, I would love a cup of tea and I'm sure Clara would as well, "said the Doctor cheerfully after Spike had pulled away. "Would it be too much trouble to ask you to make some?"

"Not at all," said Buffy suspiciously. "I have been keeping better tea bags in the house since you first started coming to visit. I'll be right back." Buffy left the living room and went into the kitchen to get the tea started. She knew Spike and the Doctor were up to something, but she couldn't even begin to guess what they were plotting.

"I'll go help Buffy," said Clara starting to head towards the kitchen.

"No," said the Doctor. "Can you just stay here with us?"

"I guess," said Clara. "What's going on?" Clara immediately stopped when she saw Spike's face begin to change. Instead of the cute, punk looking guy she had been talking to, she now saw someone monstrous. She would have screamed if she didn't already have experience with the unusual. Before she knew it, the bleached blonde vampire with yellow eyes, ridged forehead, and gruesome looking fangs was right before her face. She glanced to the Doctor and saw that he was still sitting calmly on the sofa so she knew she wasn't in any real danger. Surely if she was, than the Doctor would put a stop to this.

"Stay calm and this won't hurt much and will be over in just a few seconds," said Spike who was trying not to scare Clara even as he began leaning in and was about to bite down.

Clara didn't know what to think when she suddenly felt sharp fangs painfully enter her neck. She heard gulping and knew that her blood was being devoured by the monster that was currently latched onto her neck. As suddenly as it started, the vampire was pulling away and licking his lips. Clara screamed at the top of her lungs even as Spike's face was morphing back to its human visage.

The Doctor ran to Clara to reassure her as Buffy ran back into the room after hearing the screaming from the kitchen. Buffy saw a trickle of blood running down her boyfriend's before she looked at Clara and saw the two puncture wounds on her neck.

"Clara it is fine," said the Doctor. "He didn't do anything to change you and he didn't take enough to seriously hurt you. You're going to be fine."

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy demanded while glaring at Spike and the Doctor.

Spike wiped the blood off his face, but didn't know how to explain what he was doing with Clara still in the room. He had only been doing a taste test of this Clara to make sure that she was human. The blood could tell him all he needed to know. If he wanted to learn that this Clara was the same as the Clara he had known, than biting the two of them was necessary. He was pretty sure the Doctor had caught on to what he was doing. He was thankful that the Doctor wasn't glaring at him like he was a monster. He was crushed to see the look in Buffy's eyes that he hadn't seen since before he had a soul.

"I'll tell you later," said Spike who was looking deep into Buffy's eyes, willing her to understand.

"We are going to talk about this now," said Buffy to her boyfriend. "Clara, are you alright?"

"I think so," said Clara fearfully. "Doctor, what is going on?"

"I'll get her all patched up while you two go talk," said the Doctor. "Clara, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Please just trust me."

"I want to be alone right now," said Clara who wanted nothing to do with vampires, aliens, or slayers at the moment. "I can fix myself up." Clara then stormed upstairs to the bathroom to grab a first aid kit and wash her own blood off of her neck and shirt.

"What did you two think you were doing scaring that poor girl?" Buffy asked angrily, but quiet enough so that Clara couldn't hear them from upstairs.

"While you were showing Clara around the house I had a chat with Spike about Clara and how she is not possible," said the Doctor.

"So you told Spike to bite and scare her? Buffy asked incredulously. "What was that supposed to accomplish?"

"It was a taste test?" Spike told his girlfriend and the Doctor in case he didn't know exactly what had happened. "I wanted evidence that was more reliable than smell to see if she was human or not. I am going to go back in time with the Doctor and try the same thing on the Clara that I used to know. I want to see if they are the same person. I need to know since this is someone that I used to know. I also want to help out the Doctor since he has done so much for us in the past."

"There still had to have been a better way than scaring Clara half to death," said Buffy who was still angry, but now understood the motivation behind the attack. Another thought occurred to the slayer. "Are you going to be alright after having human blood again? It has been a long time since you have had anything other than pig's blood."

"I should be fine," said Spike. "I think I am old enough and experienced enough to control my urges."

"Buffy, I can't take Clara back with me to visit the other Clara," said the Doctor. "Would it be at all possible for you to look after her while Spike and I run this quick errand?"

"I suppose so," said Buffy reluctantly. "You should leave before she comes back downstairs and then hurry back."

"You're right," said the Doctor who then pulled Buffy into a hug before heading for the front door to go back to the TARDIS. The sun had set enough that Spike could make a run for the TARDIS with his jacket up over his head instead of the Doctor having to move the time machine inside.

"Be safe," said Buffy who embraced Spike and gave him a quick kiss before he too headed for the door."

The door closed behind the two and the sound the TARDIS made when it dematerialized could be heard from inside the house. Buffy had been hoping that they would get back before Clara came back downstairs, but of course she couldn't be that lucky. Obviously Clara had also heard the TARDIS taking off as well, because Buffy saw her coming down the steps with a towel pressed to her neck.

"Did I just hear the TARDIS leave?" Clara asked the Slayer.

"The Doctor and Spike just had to leave for a minute," said Buffy. "They should be back soon."

"They are in a time machine, so they could go anywhere for any length of time and still be back soon," said Clara. "Where did they go?"

"I can't tell you and you just need to trust the Doctor," said Buffy who felt horrible for lying to this girl who had already had quite an ordeal today.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor had to be careful about getting the timing just right. The Doctor had met Clara soon after Spike had left her life forever. He also needed to be careful about not running into his past self, but that was unlikely as his past self was most likely moping on a cloud somewhere.

"You changed the TARDIS," Spike observed while looking around. "It looks a lot more alien now."

"It always looked alien since this is an alien ship, but I have changed the desktop theme twice since you last saw the old girl," The Doctor patted the TARDIS console fondly. "The coordinates are entered and we should land soon. I better not go out there and you will need to change to fit in to the time period."

"I don't even look the same as I did back then despite the fact that I will get turned in about two years from this time. My hair is naturally brown and I hardly even remember how to speak the way I once did."

"Do your best and be careful," said the Doctor.

"You're not coming as well?" Spiked asked as the Doctor was leading him towards the wardrobe so he could get changed.

"It would be too dangerous for me to leave since Clara can't see me until we first meet outside of the tavern," explained the Doctor who then pointed out where the wardrobe was now located to Spike.

Five minutes later, Spike was now in clothing more suited to Victorian London and looked similar to how he used to dress when he was alive. He wasn't overly fond of being back in these clothes since he had worked so hard to change his image over the years. He wore a simple light blue suit that fit the time period and threw on a hat to complete the look and cover his bleached hair. The Doctor bid him farewell and suddenly Spike found himself on the streets of London that he once knew so well. Everything about this time started rushing back to him as he made his way to the Latimer estate.

It was just past sundown and Spike wasn't sure whether it was appropriate or not for him to be calling on the governess this late. Spike then wondered why he was concerned about what was appropriate. He wasn't William who had belonged to this time anymore and he wasn't even human anymore. It is not like he could have come found Clara in the middle of the day. Once Spike had rid his mind of all that nonsense, he knocked on the door and waited. It happened to be Clara who answered the door. Even though Spike had just seen Clara in modern day Sunnydale, he couldn't help but be shocked at seeing the Clara that he had known.

"Who is it?" It took Clara a moment to recognize William. She didn't think she would be seeing him again since his mother had fallen ill. It hadn't been that long since she had last seen the man, but he looked different now. She could see weird blonde hair sticking out from under his hat that was so much different to his soft brown hair. He was also much paler than she remembered. "Sorry, didn't recognize you for a moment, William. Please come in.'

Spike was able to pass through the entryway without any type of barrier stopping him. Apparently since Clara worked and lived in the house, her invitation was valid. Spike looked around the estate and memories of parties came back to him. After turning around and taking in all of the details, he noticed that Clara was looking at him strangely. "What?"

"You seem so different," said Clara who was really looking closely.

"I am different and I am sorry for what I am about to do," said Spike regretfully. "Don't come looking for me after tonight and forget that I ever existed." Spike let his human visage melt away and let the monster that he was come to the surface. Clara backed away, but she didn't call out. If Spike really meant her any harm than she was behaving foolishly. She had no way of knowing that he would never hurt her. "Aren't you scared?" Spike knew he needed to continue on with the mission, but this was his one chance to see this Clara again and for some reason she wasn't running away in fear from him. Even from a distance, he could tell that she was human and smelled the same. Unfortunately he still had to taste her to make sure like he had with the other Clara.

"Of course I'm scared," said Clara angrily. "You hardly spoke to me before, but I liked you. Now you come here in the evening and you don't look human at all. I don't know what this is all about, but you weren't like this the last time I saw you. I know that you are not going to hurt me. So I just want to know why you are here and showing me this side of you?" Clara had to stop her tirade and catch her breath. She looked straight at the monster and saw that he had a smirk on his face. The smirk made him look even more monstrous, but it did not seem to hold any malice.

"You liked me?" Spike questioned and saw Clara slightly recoil when he knew she had caught sight of his fangs. "I had wanted to court you, but now that is a distant dream from the past and I have moved on. I just wish I had acted on my feelings when I was alive."

"You're dead?" Clara questioned the monster.

"Undead is the better term to use," said Spike. "I'm a vampire."

"Are you going to bite me?" Clara asked now reconsidering her former thought that she was safe despite William's monstrous appearance.

"Yes," began Spike who felt horrible when he saw the fear in Clara's eyes. "I just need to check something in your blood and biting you is the best way. I don't want to hurt you."

"If you are a vampire, than that means that you live off of human blood, right?" Clara had heard about vampires from different stories and William did not fit the image of a vampire except in appearance.

"This is all part of some complicated mess, but I will tell you what I can," said Spike. "I am a future version of myself. There is still a human me running around the city who you must not find otherwise it could screw up the timelines. When I get turned I am going to be as evil as any other vampire for quite a long time. I have a soul now and I am trying to be good. All I need for you to do is be calm so it will hurt less and never tell anyone about this encounter.

"You are going to bite me whether I agree or not, right?" You also never answered my question about human blood." Clara needed to know before she agreed to let William try anything.

"I don't drink human blood anymore," said Spike. "I mainly survive off of pig's blood. I hope that you will agree because I don't want to force you into anything, but this needs to be done so I would rather have your permission."

"Go ahead," said Clara brushing the hair away from her neck.

Spike tilted his head to the side and just stared at Clara for a moment. This was someone he truly could have spent his life with. Even if he had met her again as a new vampire, he would have turned her. Now he wished there was some way to save her, but he knew it was not meant to be. Spike loved Buffy and this was a reminder of who he used to be and what could have been if circumstances had been different for the two of them.

Clara took a hesitant breath as William approached her and held her in his arms. She was nervous and uncertain if she had made the right choice or not. For all she knew, this could have been some trick for the vampire to get a willing meal. Clara grabbed William tightly as she felt the first prick of his fangs going through her skin.

Spike immediately tasted that this was the same exact blood that he had just drunk from the modern day Clara. Somehow these two were the same. Spike was only going to take a couple mouthfuls, but had been distracted by his own thoughts on how the two could be exactly the same down to the blood. Spike eventually pulled away. He had taken more than he had intended, but not enough to cause Clara any lasting harm.

Spike helped Clara to a chair and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it against Clara's neck. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take that much. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Clara who was surprised that William had actually stopped. She was feeling lightheaded and he had taken a bit more than he said he would, but he had stopped and that was what mattered. "Why did you need to check something in my blood?"

"I can't tell you," Spike said and turned away. "I learned what I needed to and now I need to go back to my own time. Remember what I said." Spike started heading for the door before he turned back around to look at Clara on the chair. His face was human again and this was how he wanted her to remember him if she remembered him at all. Despite his better judgment, Spike went back and placed a light kiss on Clara's cheek before he closed the door behind him forever.

Spike was back in the TARDIS a short time later. It was important for him to go to the past, but he wished he never had to. "They are both exactly the same," said a depressed Spike from one corner of the TARDIS. He had been silent upon returning back to the time machine and was thankful that the Doctor hadn't pressed him for details right away. "They both smell exactly the same and even their blood is exactly the same. They are both the same exact person."

"Thank you, Spike," said the Doctor. "I know that this was difficult for you to do, but at least now we both know. We still aren't any closer to figuring out the mystery of Clara Oswald, but somehow she is the same exact person scattered throughout time. Let's get back to Sunnydale," said the Doctor.

"Where did you run off to?" Clara asked the Doctor once he and Spike had returned to Sunnydale. "You leave me in this town with a stranger and take the TARDIS and go. It is not like this is even my proper year. Don't do that again."

"Understood, how is your neck?" The Doctor asked and took a quick peak to make sure his latest companion was alright.

"I feel fine," said Clara. "Why did you let Spike bite me?"

"There are some things that I just can't tell you yet, but know that I would never sit back and let you get hurt," said the Doctor as a sort of apology.

"One of these days you are going to tell me everything," said Clara.

A/N: In case anyone couldn't tell from the last chapter, I had planned on having the Doctor regenerate and that was the right moment. In other news I saw the season finale of Doctor Who and loved it. Anyways, thank you to everyone who reads my story. Until next time.


	12. Initiative

A/N: I was hoping that updates would be more regular, but I had been having some writer's block with this story. I needed some time to think about this chapter. The first arc of my story ended in chapter 10 and chapter 11 was the beginning of a new arc. I'm not entirely certain where I want to take this story at this point. I figured I would write this chapter and see where it led me instead of trying to think it out.

A/N 2: I wrote that first author's note months ago when I started this chapter. I want to apologize for how long it has taken me to get this chapter posted. I'm not sure I remember what free time is anymore. I have been working on this chapter when ever I have had a spare moment. I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted, but I will promise that it won't take as long to post as this one has.

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><p><span>Ch.12 Initiative<span>

Only a couple of weeks had passed in Sunnydale since the Doctor had last been in town. He had decided to not bring Clara along on this trip since she had said she didn't want to go back to the place with the weird vampire again and so much had happened on Trenzalore. The Doctor thought that she needed a break. So this left the Doctor to visit his friends without anyone else along.

The TARDIS landed in the evening, so the Doctor assumed that Spike and Buffy would be out patrolling about this time. He decided he would surprise them. After ensuring the TARDIS was hidden, he used the sonic screwdriver to let himself into the house and wait for them on the sofa. He was surprised to see Dawn come down the stairs mere minutes later and freak out over the appearance of a stranger in the house. She had never seen the Doctor with this face before.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" Dawn yelled and grabbed a stake off of a side table. She was thankful that Buffy didn't always put away all her weapons.

"Sorry," said the Doctor with his hands in the air to show that he surrendered. "I didn't think anyone would be home right now and decided to just wait for Buffy and Spike to get back."

"That still doesn't answer who you are and why you are waiting for them," declared Dawn while still holding the stake in a threatening manner.

"I'm the Doctor."

"You look nothing like the Doctor so don't even try that."

"I regenerated since the last time you saw me."

"Can you prove you are the Doctor?"

"My TARDIS is right outside. Go see for yourself." Dawn backed toward the front door while keeping her eyes on the Doctor at all times. Once she was outside she looked around and finally saw the TARDIS. Dawn was still nervous about the Doctor being in the house even though he proved he was himself and he was a friend of her sister. Dawn didn't trust the Doctor and never wanted to be left alone with him. Since Dawn was the key, she was never quite sure what the Doctor was going to do with her. She knew him the least since she had never even been in the TARDIS or gone on an adventure like the others had. Eventually Dawn went back inside since she knew she couldn't avoid the Doctor forever.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Am I safe?"

"What do you mean?"

"Am I safe around you?"

"Why wouldn't you be? I'm not going to harm you."

"I have never been sure if you were going to kill me or not because I am the key."

"You are also human and Buffy's little sister. I want to be able to promise you that there will never come a time when I have to contain you to save the universe, but I can't make that promise."

"I was afraid you would say something like that. If you don't mind I am going to go back to my room. Feel free to make yourself some tea or something while you wait.

"Wait, Dawn. I think you misunderstand me. When I say contain I don't mean kill. I have been thinking of methods to either remove the key essence from you and leave you as a normal young woman or find some way to hide you from those you would want to use whatever powers you possess. I want to help you."

"Thank you, but if you don't mind I would still like to be alone."

"Of course."

Dawn went up to her room and the Doctor went to the kitchen to make some tea and wait for Buffy to return. The Doctor had to wait quite awhile until someone returned home. He had finished his tea long ago and had been laying on the sofa reading a book while he waited. It was late in the night when he heard the lock on the door click. The Doctor got up off the couch and stalked over to the door.

"Well it is about time you came home," said the Doctor to whoever was behind the door. The door hadn't fully opened yet and he had begun waving the leather bound book around. "Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

The Doctor was met with holy water to the face by a surprised looking Giles. The Doctor used his tweed sleeve to wipe the water from his face. The Doctor backed away when he saw Giles pull out a knife.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Giles questioned the stranger while brandishing his lethal looking knife.

"Well obviously I am not a vampire since I am pretty sure that was holy water you threw at me," said the Doctor who was shaking the water out of his hair onto the carpet. "Am I going to have to make an announcement to the Universe every time I regenerate?"

"Doctor?"

"Well it is about time. I have been waiting here most of the night for someone to come home and have already been threatened by Dawn."

"Do Buffy and Spike know about your current appearance?"

"Yes, they have already seen me once in this regeneration."

"You can hardly blame the rest of us for being on guard when someone we think we have never seen before is in the residence of the original Slayer."

"Speaking of the Slayer. Is she coming home tonight?"

"I believe she shall be back relatively soon. I know she was out training some of the newer Slayers. Some of the newer girls are having a hard time adjusting to Slayer life, but they are all doing relatively well. None of them seem as formidable as Buffy or Faith.

"I have a theory that because Buffy and Faith were both called, they have a greater portion of power. It would be safe to guess that the power that went to the potentials got diluted since the scythe acted as a conductor and they didn't get their power right from the Slayer source."

"Doctor, that is actually quite a good theory. At least it is one the rest of us hadn't considered. We thought it was just because they were being trained as a group and not getting the same one on one training that Buffy and Faith had."

"That could also be a key factor."

By this point the Doctor and Giles had moved further into the living room and were both occupying a chair in the room while discussing the origins of the Slayer and the current Slayer situation. A half hour later is when Buffy followed by Spike returned home.

"Doctor!" Buffy exclaimed when she walked in the house and saw the Doctor sitting on a chair and talking with Giles. "How long have you been here?"

"I got here a couple hours ago and just decided to wait until you got home. I should have realized that you would be out since it is dark out," said the Doctor.

"Is there a particular reason why you are here?" Spike asked the Doctor. "If you wanted us to leave with you to go on an adventure, than I don't think you would have shown up at night."

"Perceptive as always, Spike," said the Doctor. "Dawn is the reason why I am here this time. I had a chance to speak to her a little when I first arrived, but I think I make her nervous."

"Is is about her being the key?" Giles asked since that was the only reason he could think of for the Doctor to be here for Dawn.

"There was so much going on before, but now I can actually put my mind to this problem. I want to help her, but it may end up being rather tricky. It hasn't been that long for you, but for me it has been hundreds of years."

"Not to get off subject, but did you ever find out about Clara?" Spike asked curiously since Clara did not appear to be present. He trusted the Doctor, but was still afraid for the little bit. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to Buffy's little sister and was hoping they could get off the topic of Dawn for at least a moment.

"That is all solved and is actually quite fascinating. The Clara from your time was the same Clara that you met here. We ended up at my future grave and one of my oldest enemies went into my time stream to defeat me in the past, but brilliant and brave Clara went in as well. She was broken up through out all of time and was present throughout my different lives. She should have died, but I was able to go in as well and save her. She is now relaxing at home. She also might not have wanted to come here since you freak her out a little."

"So the Clara from my time was a copy?"

"She was a unique individual who was born and grew up. She just happened to have originally come from the Clara you met here. It is all a bit timey wimey. Now back to the reason I came here and don't think you will distract me again."

"Worth a try," said Spike with a shrug.

"Doctor, how can Dawn be helped?" Buffy asked.

"I'm still not entirely sure," said the Doctor with a thoughtful look on his face. "I am a little afraid to try any of my ideas just yet since I am not entirely sure what the negative repercussions would be. I don't want to harm Dawn in any way, but I'm sure even you would feel much better if there were no chance that she could be used by another like Glory."

"You're right," said Buffy with a sigh.

"Do I have your permission to look more deeply into this situation to help Dawn?"

"I suppose. At first I didn't want you anywhere near her, but now that I know you, I know you wouldn't hurt her. I will try to convince her to let you inside her head like you wanted at first."

"Great! Now that we have that settled we can move on."

"Are we going to go somewhere?"

"If you would like to go somewhere, than we can leave right now. How has everything been in Sunnydale now that the Hellmouth is gone?"

"Not bad. I still have plenty of work to do, but not as much as before. I also have to deal with these military commandos again who were here a few years ago."

"Are they the ones who put that chip in Spike's head?"

"Yeah, and don't think I am happy to see that lot again," said Spike.

"Why have they come back now if everything is quieter?"

"I think they were overwhelmed before," began Buffy. "The last time they were here was a disaster and so many died. They really messed up and unleashed a monster on Sunnydale. Now they have new leadership and a new facility. The Initiative has come back probably because it is quieter here now. They don't have as much work to do and this is a good training ground for them."

"Have they been giving you any problems?"

"I have been trying to stay out of their way and so has Spike. We have had a couple run ins, but I guess my ex who was with them told them to leave Spike and myself alone. They don't want us involved with the Initiative at all."

"Probably for the best. I used to work for a group like the Initiative. Ever heard of UNIT?"

"Sounds kind of familiar," responded Spike. "I feel like I heard that name back when I was still in London."

"I was the Scientific Adviser. I guess I am still technically employed with UNIT. They are a military group that deals with aliens, but in a better way than the group Torchwood ever did. The Initiative are probably doing good work this time around. There are only so many psychopaths out there."

"That's comforting to hear."

"Shall we go somewhere? We have all of time and space ahead of us and the Initiative can handle anything here for a little while. Giles, you have been rather silent. Do you want to come with us?"

"Someone should stay here and look after Dawn in case the TARDIS doesn't come back for a week again like after our trip to Midnight."

"I am thinking of doing some discreet research into helping Dawn and would love your help, but you are right about staying here with her."

"Come back safely," said Giles as the Doctor, Buffy, and Spike exited through the front door.

The Doctor walked across the yard and then stopped and started turning around in a circle. Buffy and Spike noticed that the Doctor was getting a panicked look on his face.

"Don't tell me this is where you parked the TARDIS," said Buffy nervously.

"It is."

"It wasn't here when we got back. That is why we were surprised to see you."

"Where could it have gone?"

"Buffy probably should have mentioned that the Initiative has been watching this neighborhood closely and they do have some pretty sophisticated technology. I'd bet my undead life that they have the TARDIS."

"Just what I need, a bunch of humans who are part of the military that fight the supernatural in possession of my ship. At least they can't get in. Well it seems like we will be paying the Initiative a visit tonight." The Doctor was not looking forward to seeing this group. He tried to avoid the military whenever he could. He only helped out UNIT now when he didn't have a choice and their objectives were the same. No one could replace the Brigadier, not even the Brigadier's daughter.

"Maybe I should stay here," said Spike. "They may be leaving me alone, but I'm not sure what they'll do if I go prancing onto their secret base."

"Can they detect non humans?"

"They can obviously detect demons who don't look a bit human and vampires using heat signatures. You should be fine since I doubt they are going to be looking for two hearts. Since you will give off a heart signature, I don't think they will take a stethoscope to your chest."

"That is comforting except for the device that can detect heat signatures."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked since she was curious why body temperatures would worry the Doctor.

"My skin temperature is close to that of a human, but my core temperature is around 16 degrees Celsius or 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Externally time lords and humans look alike, but internally we are very different.

"Okay so we do have to worry about you being caught," Buffy admitted with worry evident in her voice.

"I have gotten out of worse than this," said the Doctor.

"Let's just get this over with," said Buffy who was heading for the door and gestured for the Doctor to follow.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Spike asked from off to the side.

"Oh, right," said Buffy who quickly went to her boyfriend and gave him a hug and a kiss before heading out the door with the Doctor. She led a dangerous life and always tried to show Spike some form of affection before going their separate ways in case she never came back again.

"Remind me again why we are walking all the way to the Initiative," said the Doctor as they walked at a brisk pace through downtown Sunnydale.

"I still can't drive," responded Buffy sheepishly.

"Makes me miss my old car Bessie."

"You can drive a car and you are not even from this planet. I need to hurry up and get my license, but cars and Buffy tend to be non-mixy things."

"How much further is the Initiative?"

"Last time it was located underneath the University, but now it is a bit closer and not so underground. We should be there in about five minutes."

Back at the Initiative a team of scientists were trying to get inside the TARDIS. Their instruments had picked up strange readings from the police box and this had led them to bring it back to their base. No one could get inside no matter what kind of equipment they used on the blue box. Riley Finn, who was now in charge of the Initiative strode over to his team of scientists hoping they could tell him anything about the box they had picked up at Buffy's house.

"Can anyone tell me some fact about this box?" Riley asked the gathered scientists.

One of the newer and younger scientists stepped forward to answer. "So far nothing we have tried will get this box open. It is proving resilient to all of our best efforts. We have been picking up strange readings, but we can't make sense of them yet."

"So we know nothing about this thing," Riley concluded speaking out loud, but mainly to himself.

"Where did this box come from anyways?" Another scientist asked their leader.

"It was on a lawn outside of a house over on Revello."

"Can't we just ask whoever lives there what they know about this thing?"

"We may have to, but I don't think she will be cooperative."

A few minutes later, Riley saw one of his soldiers getting tossed in through a side door and then saw Buffy enter with a man he had never seen before. He waited patiently as Buffy stalked up to him, but was surprised when he saw the stranger run over and hug the blue box.

"Sorry about the solider, but he didn't want to let us in," said Buffy.

Riley was still distracted by the stranger that Buffy had brought with her. "Does that box belong to him?"

"Yes, the Doctor was paying me a visit and left his box in my yard. What gave you and your group the right to bring it to the Initiative?"

"That box was giving out strange readings and we brought it here for observation. Why does your friend have something like this?"

"He is a scientist and you don't need to know anything beyond that. It is classified."

The Doctor saw the argument that was beginning and hurried over to help out. Hello, I'm the Doctor. Here to help. What is the problem?"

"Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor. You know it is not very nice to take something that doesn't belong to you, but then again I originally stole, I mean borrowed the TARDIS."

"TARDIS?"

"Yes, that is called the TARDIS. If you don't mind, Buffy and I are going to take my TARDIS and get out of here.

"You are not taking it anywhere until we know what it is," commanded Riley.

"The box itself is nothing, and I have some highly advanced technology inside that I don't want in your hands."

"You are a foreigner who is refusing to cooperate with the United States military. You could be some kind of terrorist for all we know."

"Riley, stop this now," said Buffy cutting in. "The Doctor is a friend of mine and he is no terrorist."

"Considering he is a friend of yours, I am surprised that he is even human."

"At first I thought you had dumped that loser of a vampire and started going out with some other inhuman creature. He definitely doesn't dress like a human."

"Oi, I don't go around insulting your species and their sense of fashion. Bow ties are and always will be cool."

"My species?"

The Doctor realized he might have outed himself, but needed to find a way to quickly recover. He hesitated for only a moment and hoped that wasn't noticed. "I am a scientist and you military types seem to be a whole other species."

"Not going to work," said Riley who had noted the hesitation and waved over one of his scientists. "I want a full analysis done on the Doctor. I am now thinking that he is not who he seems. I will be more than happy to give back the box if it can be proved that you are human."

"I'll save you the trouble of running all those tests and just come out and admit that I'm not human. My kind definitely didn't evolve from a bunch of stupid apes."

"Doctor, calm down. I know you like to insult humans when they piss you off, but now is not the time."

"Oh fine," said the Doctor.

"You brought some kind of demon into the Initiative," said Riley incredulously. "I thought you were the Slayer and that you were all about slaying demons, but you either sleep with them or befriend them. What the hell?"

"The Doctor is not a demon," said Buffy who was longing to punch her ex.

"Either he is a demon or he is human and if he is not human than that only leaves one option."

"There is also another option," said the Doctor helpfully.

"What? You're going to tell me you're from outer space."

The Doctor merely nodded and that sent Riley into a rage. He walked away and punched the TARDIS and in the process hurt his hand before storming back to the duo. "You really expect me to believe this nonsense? How is an alien different from a demon? Demons come from elsewhere and so do aliens. Both are not human and cannot be trusted."

"Stop this right now," said Buffy who shoved Riley away as he had gotten more and more in their faces during his tirade. "Some aliens are nice and some are not, just like humans. The Doctor has been coming to Earth for years in his ship and has saved this planet many times. He has taken me on some amazing adventures. I got to go to a spa on a planet made entirely of diamonds."

"You let this thing take you away in his spaceship?"

"Of course. Spike and I have gone on many trips, while Giles, Xander, and Willow went on one trip."

"Giles is fine with you going off with a vampire and an alien?"

"Giles and Spike are watching Dawn right now and know that we are here. If it wasn't for the Doctor, than Sunnydale wouldn't even be here right now. He is the one who saved this place."

"For what purpose?"

"Do I have to have some ulterior motive for saving a town?"

"Can we just get the TARDIS and leave?" Buffy asked the Doctor.

"Well in case you haven't noticed there are guns being pointed at us and I'm not sure we could make it to the TARDIS without being shot."

"Tell me what the TARDIS is and I will consider letting Buffy have it."

"Why not me?"

"You are an alien and I will not give you what you want. Now what is it?"

"It is my ship," said the Doctor.

"Your spaceship is a wooden box? Tell me what it really is."

"I am telling you. The outside is just camouflage."

"What about the inside?"

"Roomier that it appears from the outside."

"Where is the key?"

"Don't have it, besides she would never let you in. She had trouble letting in someone I actually liked before. "

"Hang on a second," said Riley. "Buffy called me out on this before back when we were dating. Oz was fine and I hated Angel, but I guess he was alright. Spike hasn't been doing anything bad lately. I guess I can take your word with the Doctor. You are usually right."

"Thank you," said Buffy who wasn't quite sure what calmed Riley down.

"Okay, now I will be taking my ship back, but I do want to look around this place to make sure nothing is going on like the last time the Initiative was in Sunnydale."

"Buffy told you?"

"Of course. Now how about that tour?"

"Follow me," said Riley heading off to the containment areas. "We have been finding different species here now than what used to visit Sunnydale. There are not as many and we do kill most HSTs on sight and only take some back to learn from them. Nothing like Adam is going on again. Now this HST here is a..."

"Silurian," said the Doctor before Riley could finish his sentence.

"A what?"

"She is a Silurian. They were the original owners of this planet and went underground when they thought the world was ending. They went into hibernation until the Earth was ready for them again. Silurians are truly remarkable. One of my best friends is a Silurian. I am guessing there was a colony underneath Sunnydale that got woken up."

The Silurian in the cell was giving the Doctor a strange look before going over to speak with the Doctor. "How do you know of us, ape?"

"Not an ape. Not even from this Solar System. I have come across Silurians many times and one back in Victorian London helped me through a dark period in my life."

"Why do you associate with apes who would lock us up, kill us, torture us?"

"They're not all bad and they didn't know any better. Most non humans in this town aren't exactly friendly."

"We were here before the apes."

"I know, but while you were all hibernating the planet changed and they evolved. There are billions of humans now and this is their home."

"You said that one of your best friends is a Silurian. What does she think of these apes?"

"She married one and helps humans as a detective."

"If I and any of my kind can be released, than you have our word there shall be no retaliation."

"That is very kind of you."

"I am not doing this to be kind, but to prove that we are civilized and better than our captors."

Riley pulled Buffy and the Doctor off to the side so that he would not be heard by the lizard woman. "I am not freeing that monster. I am thinking that I should lock you up, Doctor."

"Well you could do that, but then you would look a little silly when I would escape after a minute of being locked up. I really would like to get my ship and be on my way, but I can't do that while you have Silurians locked up in here. Vastra would never forgive me if I left them here. I have heard about this Initiative before and you may be different, but I don't trust you. Buffy and I are the ones who save this planet while you and yours go around experimenting on other lifeforms or outright killing them before you know anything about them."

"I have learned a lot from the Doctor," interjected Buffy. "I tried to kill him when we first met. He was just this weird looking guy hanging out in a cemetery that Spike said wasn't human, but he taught me to be better."

"First you freed Oz and I was fine with that because I knew the guy, but you are asking me to just look away while you free lizard people and hang out with an alien. All of this is on top of the fact that you dated a vampire before and are currently dating another vampire. Why can't you be satisfied with killing the monsters and being around humans?"

"Sometimes humans are the real monsters," said Buffy.

"Does that mean that you are going to start going around killing humans now?" Riley asked his ex girlfriend.

"No since there is the law to handle them, but that doesn't mean that all humans are good and everything else is evil," Buffy replied, already ready to be done with the Initiative. She just wanted to get out of here and go on an adventure already.

"They may not have yet, but your boyfriend and new friend will turn on you. It is only a matter of time."

"You don't know what you are talking about. Spike has a soul now which he went out and got on his own because he wanted to be better. The Doctor has saved this planet more than anyone knows. I don't know anything about Silurians except for what the Doctor has told me. They are not demons and they are not aliens. It seems like they are a species that evolved from lizards like we evolved from apes. They don't deserve to be in a place like this."

"We can't just release them even if they say they won't retaliate."

"Let me talk with all of them," said the Doctor. "I have spoken with other tribes of Silurians. Real progress was being made with integrating them into society, but it didn't work out. They went back into hibernation with the promise that one day the planet would be ready to be shared. I can try the same approach with this group."

"I will never share this planet with lizard people," said Riley. "They're staying right where they are."

"This isn't over," said Buffy as she stormed off towards the TARDIS with the Doctor following close behind.

"What are you thinking?" The Doctor asked Buffy quietly.

"Sneak back in later," replied Buffy in an equally quiet voice.

As they approached the TARDIS back in the main area, Buffy was not surprised to see the TARDIS being heavily guarded. She glared at the soldiers, but they weren't moving away from the door. Buffy was about to start smacking the soldiers out of the way when she saw Riley approach.

"Dismissed," said Riley and the men guarding the door dispersed. "Let me see inside the box and you can have it back if nothing inside proves to be dangerous to humans."

"Anything is dangerous in the wrong hands, but if you insist."

The Doctor went over to the TARDIS and unlocked the door with a snap of his fingers. He didn't want the Initiative knowing about the key he had to the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door and stepped back.

Riley looked inside for a moment before backing away. "What the hell?"

"She is the best ship in the Universe and is the very pinnacle of Time Lord science despite the fact that she is an older model and is only a type 40. The old girl has been with me for centuries and is such a sentimental old thing. She is always taking me where there is trouble happening so that I can help out. How about I make you a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Come with us on an adventure. I will show you that the Universe is a vast place that does hold the potential for evil, but also for goodness. I want to show you an example of aliens going about their daily lives. If I can prove to you that other species are good, than will you let me free the Silurians and will you back off on your bigoted attitude?"

"How do I know you aren't going to push me out into space?"

"I wouldn't do that and even if I wanted to, do you think Buffy would even let me do such a thing?"

"Buffy and I may have our differences, but you're right. She wouldn't let something like that happen."

"Alright," said Riley after a few moments hesitation.

"We are just going to pick up Spike on the way. There is a place I wanted to take Buffy and Spike and I don't want him to miss out."

"Fine," said Riley unenthusiastically.

Once Riley got over his initial aversion to going inside the TARDIS, they were able to get back to the Summer's residence very quickly. The Doctor opened the door and Spike took the hint to get inside when no one came out.

"What is Captain Cardboard doing here?" Spike asked his girlfriend.

"He is holding some Silurians prisoners in the Initiative. He has agreed to let them go if we can show him an example of other species who are good. There is a place I have wanted to take you two and he might as well come along as well. We are going to Akhaten. I have been meaning to go back there for years now. I haven't been there since I went with my granddaughter."

"What will we find there?" Buffy asked curiously. Riley being on the TARDIS couldn't spoil her excitement of going to a new place. A new planet by the sounds of it.

"I don't want to spoil the surprise, but we should find multiple species of aliens all coming together peacefully. You're going to love it there."

* * *

><p>AN: I finally finished this chapter. Sorry again about how long this took. I am going to kind of ignore the episode The rings of Akhaten. I wanted to save it for an adventure in my fan fiction, but I decided to change the time line around. So Clara will not be going and never went like she did in the show. I am not a Riley fan by any means, but he is a good character to use and even though he isn't likeable, he is evil. He is very set in his ways and has a definite idea of what is good and what is evil. As always I appreciate all those who read, follow, favorite, and review my chapters. Until next time.


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